Amateur jockey Sam Lee dies at 27 leaving horse racing world in mourning
The horse racing community is in mourning following the death of amateur jockey Sam Lee.The 27 year old, who secured four victories under Rules, achieved his most notable triumph when Phil Middleton-trained Golan Fortune claimed a Listed handicap hurdle at Cheltenham in November 2019.A joint statement from the Injured Jockeys Fund and the Point-To-Point Authority expressed: "The point-to-point world is devastated to hear of the sudden death of Sam Lee. Our deepest sympathies go out to Sam's family and his many friends."Sam was a hugely popular figure on the point-to-point scene and his tragic death is a huge shock for everyone."This weekend's point-to-point race meetings will be holding a minute's silence ahead of racing in memory of Sam.", reports the Mirror.Lee enjoyed considerable success in point-to-point racing, riding for various trainers including Francesca Poste and Claire Hart. He assisted Hart in returning to the winners' enclosure for the first time in 1,611 days when Samtara triumphed at Mollington in May 2025.BHA chief executive Brant Dunshea commented: "We are all shocked and upset to hear about the death of amateur jockey Sam Lee."Amateur jockeys are an integral part of our sport, its community and its rich history. Every jockey, professional or amateur, will be mourning today the death of a colleague and friend, as will everyone across British racing."The sport has in place services to provide care and support to those close to Sam. That support is available to everyone in our sport and anyone affected by this issue is encouraged to call them. Our thoughts are with his friends and family."Poste and her husband Charlie, a former National Hunt jockey, paid tribute to Lee on the Facebook page for their breaking and pre-training business Station Yard Racing.It read: "Sam you had become a huge part of our team over the last 6 months. You were a larger than life character; you made the dull mornings seem bright. Always full of energy, immaculately turned out, and impeccably well mannered. You loved the horses, you were kind and generous, and most of all you wanted our team to do well. It certainly is going be a very sad place without you."Click here to sign up to our sport newsletter, bringing you the top stories and biggest headlines from Ireland and beyond
