Luckless Lee Newman injured in fall at Pinjarrah

Former British champion apprentice Lee Newman was in hospital with neck and back injuries on Saturday after a second frightening fall of his Australian comeback.

The Scot fractured four vertebrae after a fall on Dealing in a handicap at Pinjarrah in Western Australia.

"It's not great. I've got a few fractures but it's not so bad," Newman said from hospital. "And I'm in good hands."

He spent more than five months on the sidelines last year after damaging his spleen and ribs in a three-horse pile-up at Ascot in Western Australia on April 1.

But he had quickly re-established himself since his return and rode his 19th winner of the 2017-18 season on I'm Feeling Lucky in the La Trice Classic on New Year's Day.

Newman, 35, won the apprentices’ title when with Richard Hannon snr in 2000 and, after quitting due to weight problems two years later, he returned for another successful stint in the saddle in 2010, only to give up his battle with the scales the following year.

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