€550,000 raised for two injured jockeys

Over €550,000 has been raised for two injured Irish jockeys both left paralysed after falls within weeks of each other.

Some of the top names in horse racing took part in the star-studded fundraiser at Greenmount Racecourse in Limerick in aid of John Thomas McNamara and Jonjo Bright.

Limerick man JT McNamara, aged 38, suffered vertebra fractures in a fall at the Cheltenham Festival in March which resulted in paralysis from the neck down.

Jonjo Bright, a 19-year-old jockey from Co Antrim, suffered horrific neck injuries in a fall at a point-to-point meeting in Tyrella in March and is also paralysed.

A crowd of 10,500 people attended the unique charity day where all gate takings, entry fees, race sponsorship, prize money and riding fees were donated to the Jockeys Emergency Fund which is helping to pay for the ongoing treatment and rehabilitation of McNamara and Bright.

The big race on the day was the Champion Jockeys Race where, for the first time at an Irish or British racecourse, the most champion jockeys from all codes of racing competed against each other.

Racegoers enjoyed action on the track from 18-time champion AP McCoy along with Ruby Walsh, Richard Johnson, and flat stars Johnny Murtagh, Kieren Fallon, and Jamie Spencer.

About€250,000 was raised in a live auction where a unique set of plain life racing silks (grey), registered for any Irish trained horses, fetched €55,000.

Other items sold at the auction included a signed pair of AP McCoy’s underwear which sold for €5,500, and four VIP tickets for the One Direction concert in Croke Park which went for €4,500.

While the amount of money raised at the silent auction was still being calculated last night, at least €550,000 was raised for the jockeys fund.

Soccer star Niall Quinn, who was among the celebrities present, described the event as one of the “best days racing he has ever attended” while other VIP’s included English soccer manager Steve Bruce, Limerick businessman and horse owner JP McManus, and former Tipperary hurling manager Nicky English.

Members of the McNamara and Bright families also attended yesterday’s event.