Now nearer home, Fitzgerald has undergone further surgery

Mick Fitzgerald has undergone more surgery to treat injuries he suffered when he fell from his horse L'Ami in the Grand National on 5 April.

The 37-year-old underwent a five-hour operation on his neck and also had surgery to repair knee ligament damage.

He had already had an eight-hour operation to realign three vertebrae and two discs last week.

"He is reported to have come through it very successfully," said the Professional Jockeys Association.

The statement added: "Jeremy Fairbanks, the surgeon who carried out the operation will be assessing Mick on an ongoing basis.

"If he continues to progress plans will be made in the near future for him to return home."

Fitzgerald's first operation, at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital, was a success and he was later moved to Oxford's Nuffield Hospital to be nearer to his family.

"To be closer to home now where I can see Chloe and the kids regularly means so much more," he said after the initial operation last week.

"I watched a bit of racing [on Saturday] for the first time because I have been finding it hard to concentrate for long periods."

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It is not the first time the veteran Irish jockey has suffered a serious neck injury.

In 2005 he was sidelined for several months when he broke a bone in his neck following a fall at Market Rasen.