Jockey McNamara dies after fall at Cheltenham

A renowned amateur jockey has died at the age of 41 following a fall a few years ago at the Cheltenham Festival.>John Thomas McNamara was paralysed from the neck down after a fall at Prestbury Park in 2013. The top rider, known as JT and from Croom, Co Limerick, had victories at the Cheltenham Festival.>It is understood he suffered complications in recent days and spent time inhospital before returning home to Springfield Stables where he died.

A skilled jockey and trainer, JT was regarded by contemporaries in the weighing room as a horseman as good as virtually any professional.>The accident in a fall at the first fence in a race for amateur riders on March 2013 was said to have come as he was contemplating retirement.>He was 37 at the time and spent months in hospitals in Britain and Ireland before returning home to Limerick where he required round the clock care.

Tributes for the jockey have been pouring in from fellow competitors and fans.