There will be enormous sorrow over the death of the leading Irish jockey John Thomas McNamara, who had been paralysed since a fall at the Cheltenham Festival three years ago.
Emotional tributes to Mr McNamara (41) were led yesterday by Sir Anthony McCoy, who said that his late friend had been not only a great sportsman but a fantastic human being.
While the risks involved in National Hunt racing are well known, and it is essential the safety measures at every course are constantly reviewed, the scale of the injuries suffered by the Limerick man remain thankfully very rare.
The thoughts and prayers of everyone in the Irish sporting community will be with Mr McNamara's wife and three children.
