When we think of injuries in the horse racing world, it is often the animals that first spring to mind – usually those who ply their trade in the jumping sphere. If not jump horses, jump jockeys would appear to be in the most obvious danger when taking to the track. Unsurprisingly, the stats agree, showing that jump jockeys are far more likely to suffer an injury than their flat counterparts. Just ask the greatest National Hunt rider of all time, Sir AP McCoy, who would likely find it quicker to list the bones he hasn’t broken than those he has.
However, in November 2023, we were handed a devastating reminder that injuries are by no means restricted to those riders who tackle hurdles or fences – courtesy of a terrible incident at Newcastle, which left one of the most popular riders in the weighing room, Graham Lee, in intensive care. Sadly, Lee’s injury was the latest in a series of incidents at All Weather tracks this season. Here, we look at three of the most high-profile and examine what measures are in place to keep jockeys as safe as can reasonably be expected when teaming up with a one-tonne animal in possession of a mind of their own and a good dose of speed and power.
Graham Lee
We start with the most disturbing incident on our list, involving 47-year-old former National Hunt rider Graham Lee. Just as the stalls opened ahead of a five-furlong handicap contest on the 10th of November card at Newcastle, Lee’s mount Ben Macdui dipped dramatically forward, sending the jockey out of the saddle and headfirst into the ground. It immediately became clear that the rider needed swift medical attention. Having been airlifted to the RVI Hospital in Newcastle, initial assessments found that Lee had suffered an unstable cervical fracture and damage to his spinal cord and blood vessels in the region.
A statement from the Injured Jockeys Fund later revealed that Lee had successfully undergone spinal surgery, but the long-term prognosis remained uncertain. By the 25th of November, the rider had been transferred to Middlesbrough to enable him to be closer to home, and, whilst able to talk to his family, he is expected to remain there for the foreseeable future.
Famously partnering Amberleigh House to victory in the 2004 edition of the Grand National, Lee proved just as adept on the flat – winning the 2015 Ascot Gold Cup aboard Trip To Paris and the 2018 Nunthorpe with Alpha Delphini. A well-respected and well-loved member of the weighing room, the industry has responded with an outpouring of support for Lee and his family, with a Just-Giving page set up by his daughter Amy raising over £150,000 to assist with his recovery and rehabilitation. Racing fans, as well as colleagues, send their prayers.
Cieren Fallon
Son of one of the most famous flat riders of the modern era (Kieran Fallon), young Cieren may spell his name differently but has inherited much of his Classic-winning father’s talent in the saddle. However, the 24-year-old two-time Champion Apprentice now faces an extensive spell on the sidelines following an incident on that same 10th November night at Newcastle.
In common with Graham Lee, Fallon sustained his injury at the start of his race. Entering the stalls aboard Persian Blue ahead of a five-furlong Novice event, the jockey waited patiently for the stalls to open. Unfortunately, Persian Blue had other ideas. Following a kick from a rival, the filly leapt at the gates, sending Fallon to the floor, and trapping his left leg between horse and rail. Persian Blue managed to force her way through the gate, leaving a stricken and barely conscious Fallon behind. Thankfully, the injuries he sustained weren’t as serious as those befalling Lee later on the card. Nevertheless, damaged ACL and MCL ligaments have left the up-and-coming rider on crutches and he is likely to be out of action until February at the earliest.
Dane O’Neill
Earlier in the year, one of Graham Lee’s longtime Weighing Room colleagues suffered a horror incident aboard Eagle Eyed Tom in a handicap contest at Wolverhampton. Unlike Lee and Fallon, Dane O’Neill did make it out of the starting stalls – but he didn’t get very far, as Eagle Eyed Tom stumbled and crashed to the Tapeta surface mere metres into the race. Thankfully, the horse emerged unscathed, but O’Neill wasn’t so fortunate – breaking seven ribs and the T6 vertebrae in the central spine area.
Initially hoping to be back in the saddle in October, those plans are, at least temporarily, on hold, as the spinal injury has yet to heal to the extent required to ride in a race. O’Neill remains optimistic he may return to the saddle in the new year. However, the Group 1 winning rider is realistic in accepting that his back may never fully heal, forcing him to call time on an excellent career earlier than intended.
Safety Measures
The frequency at which injured riders have hit the headlines in 2023 leads to the question of whether anything further can be done to protect the jockeys from such serious – and in the case of Graham Lee – life-threatening injuries.
The British Horseracing Authority takes this area of the sport very seriously, with the Injured Jockeys Fund and Oaksey House doing brilliant work to support injured riders, both at the time of their injury and throughout their lives.
Improvements have also been made to minimise the likelihood and extent of such injuries. Since a 2018 change in policy, all jockeys must wear a Level 2 body protector, which offers solid protection against body blows – such as those suffered when falling to the ground or being kicked by a horse. The only other protective item riders are required to wear is a helmet, which must conform to strict European standards relating to strength and the ability to protect the skull.
Some suggest that the neck and spine protection provided by helmets/body protectors could, and should, be improved. However, this is a complicated issue, as the introduction of more rigid or restrictive equipment may compromise the movement of the riders, which in itself may increase the risk of injury. It is also worth noting that the incidents involving Graham Lee and Cieren Fallon were freak occurrences. As much as the sport attempts to protect the riders, it is hard to completely legislate against the occasionally unpredictable behaviour of their mounts.
