IJF

A bumper crowd of 3,000 people turned out to celebrate the life of Keagan Kirkby at Wincanton Racecourse on Sunday, October 27. The Keagan Kirkby Raceday included a charity memorial race in his name, in addition to a seven-race card, and raised funds for Racing Welfare and the Injured Jockeys Fund (IJF)--the two charities which supported Kirkby's friends, family and colleagues after he tragically died in a point-to-point accident in February. In total, the raceday has raised an estimated £116,000 which will be split equally between Racing Welfare and the...

Amateur jockey Alice Procter, who injured her spinal cord in a Cartmel fall earlier this month, has left intensive care, the Injured Jockeys' Fund (IJF) announced on Wednesday. The 21-year-old was riding Uggy Uggy Uggy (GB) (Saddler's Rock {Ire}) for trainer Keiran Burke in a female riders' handicap hurdle on July 20 when the fall occurred, and has since undergone surgery. The IJF said in a statement on Tuesday, "Amateur jockey Alice Procter has now left Intensive Care at the Royal Preston Hospital. "As a consequence of her fall, she...

The Graham Lee IJF Fund Stable Staff Stakes, sponsored by Sky Bet, will take place on Friday, July 26 in support of the Injured Jockeys' Fund and Graham Lee, Thirsk Racecourse announced on Wednesday. The race sees 10 volunteers from racing yards compete in a one-mile 'hands and heels' race. The riders will be led up by professional jockeys, with all participants having agreed to meet the minimum sponsorship obligation of £500. A Grand National-winning rider, Lee prevailed in 2004 aboard Amberleigh House (Ire) (Buckskin {Fr}). He also won the...

A statement thanking the racing community for their support was released by the Injured Jockeys Fund (IJF) on behalf of injured jockey Graham Lee on Saturday. Injured in a severe fall at Newcastle three months ago, the Group 1-winning jockey is currently located at the Spinal Unit of the James Cook University Hospital in Middlesborough. Also a Grand National winner, Lee is planning to modify his house in order to move home in the next few months. A JustGiving page was set up for Lee shortly after his accident and...

The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) and Point-to-Point Authority (PPA) have launched a full review of the death of Keagan Kirkby on Sunday. A member of the Paul Nicholls team in Ditcheat, the 25-year-old was riding at a meeting at Charing in Kent when his horse ran through the wing of a fence in the final race of the day. "The necessary steps in response to this tragic incident commenced immediately after the race on Sunday and have continued [Monday]," stated a joint-statement from the BHA and PPA. "The BHA are...

A fundraising auction for injured jockey Graham Lee has been organised and can be viewed here. The jockey was recently moved closer to home after sustaining neck and spinal injuries in a Newcastle fall earlier this month and undergoing surgery. All of the money raised will be managed by the Injured Jockeys Fund (IJF) and go directly to the 47-year-old rider. Some of the lots include mornings on the gallops with trainers like Paul Nicholls, Karl Burke, Harry Derham, Donald McCain and Fergal O'Brien. In addition, there are also stud...

Injured jockey Graham Lee was moved closer to home to James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough recently. The Grand National-winning jockey and Group 1-winning rider sustained spine and neck injuries in a fall at Newcastle two weeks ago. He was previously based at the Royal Victoria Infirmary Hospital in Newcastle. A statement from the Injured Jockeys Fund (IJF) read, "Graham Lee has now moved to the Spinal Unit at James Cook University Hospital in Middlesborough where he will remain for the foreseeable future. "He is no longer in ITU but...

Jockey Graham Lee is reported to be making "positive progress" by the Injured Jockeys Fund (IJF) as of Friday. The Group 1-winning rider was unseated from Ben Macdui (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) on leaving the stalls for a sprint handicap last Friday. He has been diagnosed with an unstable cervical fracture which has damaged his spinal cord, and has also undergone two surgeries to stabilise the fractures and protect his spinal cord further. The IJF said in a statement, "Graham has made positive progress in the last 24 hours and has...

Following a difficult week for racing which saw four pass away--including Jess Whalley, who collapsed and died on scene at Michael Owen's Manor House Stable Tuesday morning, BHA's Chief Executive Julie Harrington issued the following statement on Saturday: "This has been a tragic week for all of us in the racing community. "Jess Whalley was a shining example of what makes British racing so special. She dedicated herself to providing outstanding care to horses and it was while doing this that her life was suddenly and tragically cut short. On...