GRAHAM LEE has been taken to hospital with a suspected fracture to his right femur after a fall from Rich Lord at Southwell on Wednesday.
The Grand National-winning jockey, 36, was unseated at the fourth-last fence in the 2m4½ handicap chase and has been taken to the Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham for x-ray on his leg.
The injury will see Lee miss the big spring festivals at Cheltenham, Aintree and Punchestown with surgery required and a recovery period of up to six months predicted.
Doctor Alison Green, who attended to the stricken Lee, said: "He's not had an x-ray yet but it looks like a fracture to his right femur. He'll have his hip and pelvis checked out too as it is high up on his leg.
"Hewill require surgery either way and I would think he'll be back in the saddle between three and six months."
Racing was delayed by nearly 30 minutes as Lee was taken from the course to the medical room before being transported tohospital.
The jockey, who landed the Centenary Novices' Handicap Chase at last year's Cheltenham Festival on Divers, missed the meeting in 2008 after sustaining multiple fractures and concussion in a fall at Huntingdon
smart answer that i have been involved as an owner at ferdys for 5 years its a massive blow to the yard you can slag ferdy all you want but with limited ammo compared to the south he can always ready one for a big occasion and he trains one of my strongest bets for the festival
smart answer that i have been involved as an owner at ferdys for 5 years its a massive blow to the yard you can slag ferdy all you want but with limited ammo compared to the south he can always ready one for a big occasion and he trains one of my str
LEADING amateur Derek O'Connor has broken his left leg and will miss the Cheltenham Festival.
O'Connor, who made his festival breakthrough last season with Zemsky and Chicago Grey, was in Scotland to ride two horses for Ian Ferguson but took a heavy fall from Simonsberg in the hunter chase.
The horse was fatally injured and O'Connor was taken to the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary after the fall where x-rays showed that he had broken his left femur.
O'Connor said on Friday morning: "Unfortunately the x-rays showed up a break to my left femur. I might be getting an operation later today, it just depends on what the specialists say. It's disappointing obviously and I'm probablylooking at 8-10 weeks out of action."
Ireland's champion point-to-point jockey will miss the Cheltenham Festival, Irish Grand National meeting, Aintree Grand National meeting and is also likely to be out of action for the Punchestown festival at the end of April.
The point-to-point season concludes on Monday, June 4
Derek O'Connor out of festival with broken leg By Jessica Lamb racingpost.comLEADING amateur Derek O'Connor has broken his left leg and will miss the Cheltenham Festival.O'Connor, who made his festival breakthrough last season with Zemsky and Chicago