Graham Lee recovering well from spinal surgery but long-term prognosis remains uncertain

Graham Lee underwent surgery on Tuesday on the serious injuries he sustained following a fall at Newcastle on Friday evening, with the Injured Jockeys Fund stating the extent of the jockey's recovery remained uncertain.

Lee, 47, has been held in the intensive therapy unit at Royal Victoria Infirmary Hospital in Newcastle, where he is reported to have recovered well from the spinal surgery.

A statement from the IJF said on Wednesday: "Jockey Graham Lee had surgery yesterday at the Royal Victoria Infirmary Hospital in Newcastle to stabilise the fractures in his cervical spine and further protect his spinal cord.

"He also had a tracheostomy performed to allow him to be more comfortable and improve communication. While Graham has recovered from the surgery well, the extent of his long term recovery remains uncertain."

Lee, a Grand National winner and more recently a leading rider on the Flat, was unseated from his mount Ben Macdui as the stalls opened for a sprint handicap on Friday.

Racing has united in support of Lee, whose condition has been described as "very serious", after the IJF promised to provide care and support for the rider and his family.

A JustGiving page was set up on Monday by Lee's 18-year-old daughter Amy and has since raised more than £100,000 to help the rider and the IJF, with jockeys, trainers, owners and the racing public showing their support with donations.

In the IJF statement, Lee's family thanked everyone for their best wishes and support of the fund, with Amy saying: "I am personally writing down each and every message and donation that comes through and I share all of these with Dad.

"To be honest, it's simply overwhelming and we can't believe that so many people are thinking of us. I wish I could explain how much of a difference it will make to Dad's recovery knowing that he has your support. Thank you from the bottom of my heart."

Lee rode more than 1,000 winners over jumps, including in the 2004 Grand National on Amberleigh House for Ginger McCain, before switching to riding on the Flat in 2012.

The Galway-born, North Yorkshire-based rider is associated with other notable jumpers, including Stayers' Hurdle winner Inglis Drever and Grade 1 scorers Another Promise and Kalahari King.

Since switching to the Flat, Lee has shown his skill at the highest level at varying distances by partnering Trip To Paris to success in the 2015 Gold Cup at Royal Ascot and riding Alpha Delphini to victory by a nose in a thrilling finish to the 2018 Nunthorpe.

This year he has ridden 47 winners from 598 rides, 15 of which have come for Ben Macdui's trainer Paul Midgley.

To donate to the JustGiving page for Graham Lee and the IJF, click here

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