Robbie McNamara was said on Friday night to be suffering from “chest, abdominal and spinal injuries” after a shocking fall at Wexford earlier in the day. The Irish jockey is being transferred from a hospital near the racecourse to the Mater hospital in Dublin, a level one facility, for further assessment.
“He’s in good spirits,” reported Dr Adrian McGoldrick, the Turf Club’s chief medical officer, who added that the jockey’s family were with him and that no further update was likely until Sunday. McNamara sustained his injuries in the opening hurdle race when his mount, Bursledon, fell at the fourth-last, knocking over another horse as he tumbled and causing a third jockey to be unseated in a nasty-looking pile-up.
McNamara had been due to ride Lord Windermere in Saturday’s Grand National and there has been much speculation about who might now take what should be an exciting ride aboard a horse who was good enough to win last year’s Cheltenham Gold Cup. Speculation on social media centred on Katie Walsh, who won the Irish Grand National on Monday and would be a popular choice, but she has had only one ride in the past five years for Lord Windermere’s trainer, Jim Culloty, suggesting that his instinct may be to look elsewhere.
But Culloty’s options are limited because so many high-profile riders are booked for other runners. Lord Windermere has been ridden in his last six races, including when winning the Gold Cup, by Davy Russell but Culloty fired him after the horse fared poorly in this year’s Gold Cup and there is no chance of a reconciliation in time for the National, as Russell is injured.
Culloty also has Spring Heeled entered in the National, with Nick Scholfield booked to ride, and it is not impossible that Scholfield will be switched to Lord Windermere and a replacement found for Spring Heeled.
Brian Harding and Harry Skelton are, by number of winners, the most successful jockeys in Britain this season who do not currently have Grand National rides. Harding was due to be on Carlito Brigante until that horse was found to be lame on Friday morning. Both men are due to ride in other races at Aintree on Saturday.
