Popular jockey Joanna Mason has spoken for the weighing room in welcoming the decision to support injured rider Graham Lee through this year’s Go Racing in Yorkshire Summer Festival.

The 16th festival, again sponsored by Sky Bet, covers nine days of racing – between July 19 and 27 – at York, Thirsk, Doncaster, Catterick, Beverley, Redcar, Ripon and Pontefract.

And this year’s festival has chosen the Matt Hampson Foundation as its charity partner in recognition of its support of jockey Graham Lee (pictured below), who suffered life-changing injuries in a fall at Newcastle last November.

(Image: Chris Barron)

The charity’s founder is former England and Leicester Tigers rugby player, Matt Hampson OBE, who was paralysed from the next down in 2005, aged just 20.

Graham visits the foundation for specialist therapy on a two-week block once a month, and his wife, Becky, said: “The physio he is receiving is incredible. They get everything out of him, and the whole team are very special.

“The charity is committed to Graham long-term and being a partner at the Go Racing Summer Festival is a great way to recognise them and give something back.”

Speaking at the press launch of the festival at Thirsk Races this week, Joanna Mason explained how much it means to the jockeys to be supporting Graham and his family.

“Graham was the friendly face of the weighing room – always so helpful and prepared to give advice to anyone who needed it. It was never a bother to him, and I was just one of many young jockeys he helped along the way.

“I know I speak for all the jockeys when I say how much we welcome the racing community rallying round Graham and his family, and having the Go Racing In Yorkshire Festival supporting this fantastic charity is another brilliant and high-profile example.”

As well as its headquarters in Leicestershire, the foundation has recently opened its first satellite hub, based at Gateshead Leisure Centre, making the North-East an important region for the charity.

As well as traditional exit collections, the festival will be raising funds for the foundation in a variety of ways.

The ever-popular ‘Sky Bet Paddock and Chips’ football skills event will see jockeys going into the paddock before racing to take five shots at different sized goals worth £25, £50 and £100.

A festival raffle will be held to win a unique prize – four shoes from Yorkshire’s 2023 Group 1 sprinters – Highfield Princes, Shaquille, Regional, and Art Power – mounted and engraved.

Thirsk will be holding a charity race for stable staff before the main card on Friday, July, 26.

Sky Bet will also be sponsoring two races on each day of the festival, including a Sky Bet Sponsoring Matt Hampson Foundation race.

Matt Hampson will be attending the meeting at York on July 27, the final day of the festival.

Summer Festival calendar

Friday 19 July: Pontefract (evening) – Oasis tribute band Definitely Mightbe after racing
Saturday 20 July: Ripon

Saturday 20 July: Doncaster (evening) – 80s Rewind after racing
Sunday 21 July: Redcar – Circus Family Fun Day
Monday 22 July: Beverley (evening)
Wednesday 24 July: Catterick – Family Fun Day
Thursday 25 July: Doncaster
Friday 26 July: Thirsk – Family Fun Day
Friday 26 July: York (evening) – Kaiser Chiefs after racing
Saturday 27 July: York – S Club after racing