Jerry McGrath set for another week in hospital after nasty Lingfield incident

Jerry McGrath is set for another week in hospital after suffering serious hip and shoulder injuries in a pile-up at Lingfield.

The jump jockey is relieved to have escaped more serious long-term damage, however, after fearing initially he might been paralysed in last Monday's terrifying incident.

McGrath was riding even-money favourite Vegas Blue in a jumpers' bumper on the all-weather when his mount fell on the home turn and brought down two others.

"When I was on the ground one of the horses was on top of me on my leg and when they took him off I didn't feel anything," he said. "I couldn't feel my legs – so to be honest anything better than that is a bonus.

"I hit the all-weather and you don't bounce on it. Something has to give and it could have been worse.

"I can't thank the doctors enough. I was conscious and I remember being in the ambulance with the blue light flashing and it was fairly humbling. It brings you back to reality."

Nicky Henderson: trains Jerry McGrath's mount Vegas Blue, who escaped injury in the Lingfield incidentCredit: Edward Whitaker

McGrath is thankful for the support he has received since his fall and said: "I've been overwhelmed by all the messages and good-luck wishes, which have been brilliant as there have been a few low times since Monday."

He dislocated his left hip and shoulder in the fall, also fractured both joints and has undergone two operations.

"The first operation put the hip and then the shoulder back in," McGrath said.

"Then I went back under anaesthetic again for eight hours and they pinned and plated the hip and the shoulder because they were both fractured.

"I was lucky that the hip surgeon and the shoulder surgeon were in at the same time because in the current situation they're not in as much as they used to be."

'A long road to recovery'

McGrath, who has ridden nine winners this season, is determined to return to race-riding but is not putting any timescale on his recovery process.

"I think I'll be in hospital for the next week, then it's going to be a long road to recovery," he said. "It's going to be six weeks before I can put any weight on the leg, so it will be a long time hopping around the place.

"I'm not going to put a timescale on it, I'm just looking forward to getting back in the saddle at some stage."

Jerry McGrath was successful on Beware The Bear at the Cheltenham Festival in 2019Credit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

None of the three horses who came down was injured and the other jockeys involved, Alexander Thorne and Jordan Nailor, were both able to walk away from the incident.

McGrath, 29, has ridden more than 200 jumps winners in a career that began in 2008, notably winning at the Cheltenham Festival for Nicky Henderson on Une Artiste (2012) and Beware The Bear (2019).

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