Irish-born US champion Young 'critical but stable' after fall

Five-time US champion jump jockey Paddy Young is described as "critical but stable" after suffering head injuries in a fall in a timber race at the Radnor Hunt meeting in Malvern, Pennsylvania on Saturday.

According to a report in the Daily Racing Form, County Down native Young suffered head trauma when he was kicked by another horse after his mount King's Apollo fell in the $30,000 Radnor Hunt Cup.

Young had bleeding on the brain and had to have a piece of his skull removed; he also suffered a fracture of the C-7 vertebra in his back.

The rider's wife Leslie told the Daily Racing Form that doctors hoped he would make a full recovery. "He can move his arms and his legs and he has had his eyes open," she said.

"They had to restrain him. I don't think he probably knows what happened. He’s trying to rip out his breathing tube. They’ve kept him sedated. I was calling it an induced coma, but it's not - it’s just that he's heavily sedated.

“He's on a breathing tube, but not because he cannot breathe on his own. They put him on a breathing tube because it helps give him good oxygen. Right now, while he’s in this state, they want him to have good oxygen."

Leslie Young, who is a trainer, credited the AP McCoy riding helmet as having prevented any more severe injuries. "I'm glad he had that new helmet on," she told the Form.

Pennsylvania-based Young, 41, has ridden close to 200 winners since moving to the States in 2003 after spending time with Henrietta Knight and Nicky Henderson in Britain.

He won the Colonial Cup in 2010 on Slip Away and has topped the American steeplechase rankings from 2009-11, 2013 and 2015.

"They seem hopeful barring any infection or something else," added Leslie Young. "As of now they're not stressing me out too much."

The Radnor Hunt Cup was won by Mystic Strike, who was promoted to first place after the disqualification of Ebanour following a tight finish.