GRAHAM LEE suffered a double fracture of the jaw in a horror fall at Huntingdon on Thursday - leaving trainer Ferdy Murphy “desperate” for him to be fit for the Cheltenham Festival.
Lee was knocked out after he took a kick when falling from Cash King four fences from home in the novice handicap chase.
As well as missing a clutch of fancied rides at Newbury on Saturday, including Dancer's Serenade in the Totesport Trophy, he looks set to miss big meetings at Ascot and Kempton on the following two Saturdays.
The injury means the top two jump jockeys inBritain are absent in the crucial weeks leading up to Cheltenham. Tony McCoy, who leads Lee in the jump jockeys' title race, suffered back and rib injuries in a fall at Warwick last month.
Racegoers at Huntingdon feared Lee's injuries would be more serious than they turned out to be after witnessing the jockey's fall.
Four ambulances raced to his aid and their crew treated him where he lay with the county's air ambulance landing as well to add to the drama.
Lee was finally lifted on a stretcher with a drip and ventilator attached and driven slowly to Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge for further examination.
Explaining the extent of the rider's injuries, course doctor Stephen Hughes said: "It looks like he has fractured his jaw in a couple of places.
"There was a lot of bleeding into his airways, which necessitated running a tube in to help stabilise him, but hopefully he should be fine.
"He was knocked out for about a minute, but when he came to he responded to questions."
The air ambulance was not used because of medical concerns about air pressure.
Venetia Williams, trainer of Cash King, went across the course to the incident and confirmed Lee was able to move his arms and legs.
While the seriousness of Lee's injuries has yet to be fully assessed, the BHA's chief medical advisor Dr Michael Turner believes it will result in him facing a “mid-term” spell on the sidelines.
He said: “It all depends on the severity of the injury and what they have to do to repair it. It is impossible to call at this early stage, but after a couple of days in hospital you would have an idea. “Normally there's a bit of work to do, and while it is not a major, serious thing – you don't have to walk on your jaw – it is not a seven-day thing either, as often there is quite a bit of swelling which you have to allow to settle down.”
Ferdy Murphy last night said he is “desperate” for Lee to be fit in time to ride the stable's runners at the Cheltenham Festival.
“We are still waiting to hear the exact injuries,” Murphy said.
“But if he has been unconscious for a while, it's automatically three weeks he will be out for - hopefully that is all he will miss.
“We are desperate for him to be back for Cheltenham – we'd be desperate for him to ride anywhere as he is riding well at the moment - and is a massive cog in our wheel.”
Murphy's assistant Niall Hannity was quick to book replacements for Lee at Newbury on Saturday, with Tom Dreaper coming in for the rides on the hurdlers Supreme Builder and Master Builder, while Timmy Murphy will ride L'Antartique in the Game Spirit Chase.
The search for a rider for Dancer's Serenade in the Totesport Trophy was ongoing on Thursday night.
Ruby Walsh has been installed a warmfavourite to land the Racing Post Award for leading jockey at the Cheltenham Festival. Walsh, who picked up the prize in 2004 and again two years later, is as short as 11-10 with Paddy Power to be crowned top rider for a third time.
Last year's winner Robert Thornton is a clear second favourite with VCbet at 5-1, while he is the same price, along with long-term absentee McCoy, with Paddy Power.
McCoy leads this season's jump jockeys' championship with 132 wins. Lee is second on 89 and Richard Johnson third on 83.
Racing Post leading rider at Cheltenham Festival
Paddy Power: 11-10 Walsh, 5 McCoy, R Thornton, 10 Fitzgerald, O'Regan, 14 Scudamore, 16 McNamara, Murphy, Thomas, 20 bar
VCbet: 11-8 Walsh, 5 R Thornton, 6 McCoy, 6 Fitzgerald, 14 Johnson, 14 Scudamore, 16 Murphy, 16 O'Regan, 16 Lee, 16 Thomas, 25 bar
yes that would be gutting, all that prize money...