FOR all the high points throughout the last 12 months, the inherent dangers of National Hunt racing were again starkly illustrated this year. At Wexford in April a fall from Bursledon in a seemingly innocuous low grade handicap hurdle left Robbie McNamara paralysed from the waist down.

National Hunt racing is easily one of the most dangerous pursuits of all and the risks facing its participants every time they step out on the track can never be underestimated. Truly jump jockeys are a unique breed of sportspeople and the resilience and steely determination which McNamara has shown since that Friday evening in Wexford is a fitting testament to those qualities.