Fundraiser for Graham Lee and Injured Jockeys Fund exceeds £100,000 as racing unites in support of jockey

Racing has united to raise more than £100,000 to help Graham Lee and the Injured Jockeys Fund, after the organisation promised to provide care and support for the rider and his family following his serious injury.

A JustGiving page was set up on Monday by Lee's daughter Amy. His weighing room colleagues, including Oisin Murphy and Rossa Ryan, trainers, owners and the racing public have shown their support for the jockey and the IJF with donations.

The description on the fundraising page says: "The Injured Jockeys Fund is an incredible charity which will be there every step of the way for Dad's recovery. Anything at all is appreciated.

"Thousands of people have either posted, commented or shared on social media, so if everyone was to donate £1 it would make a huge difference."

Sir Anthony McCoy and Jack Berry, president and vice-president of the IJF, promised in a joint-statement on Monday afternoon that the organisation will "assist him in his recovery and predicament for as long as it takes".

The 20-time British champion jump jockey and Berry said they were "devastated" by the injuries Lee suffered in a fall at Newcastle on Friday evening. BHA chief executive Julie Harrington also said on Monday that "the whole sport is praying for one of its finest ambassadors".

The 47-year-old was taken by ambulance to the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle and held in an intensive therapy unit after being unseated from his mount Ben Macdui as the stalls opened for a sprint handicap.

He has an unstable cervical fracture causing damage to the spinal cord, as well as damage to blood vessels in the mid-cervical region. The IJF's latest statement on his condition on Sunday said that his sedation had been able to be reduced.

Lee rode more than 1,000 winners over jumps, including the 2004 Grand National on Amberleigh House and 2005 World Hurdle aboard Inglis Drever, before switching his focus to the Flat in 2012.

He has since ridden two Group 1 winners, landing the 2015 Ascot Gold Cup with Trip To Paris and the 2018 Nunthorpe by a nose on Alpha Delphini. Lee had 47 victories this year from 598 rides before his injury.

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