Jockey Robbie McNamara is said to be in “very good spirits” and is facing a period of recuperation after undergoing spinal surgery at Dublin’s Mater Hospital on Saturday.

The twenty six year old jockey sustained serious chest, abdominal and spinal injuries in a fall at Wexford on Friday and he remains in the Mater’s high dependency unit after his weekend surgery.

McNamara, a first cousin of John Thomas McNamara who was paralysed from the neck down in a fall at Cheltenham two years ago, is also described as being “very stable” at present.

“He has serious chest injuries, serious abdominal injuries and serious spinal injuries. They’ve operated on his spinal injuries and that’s been stabilised,” said the Turf Club medical officer, Dr Adrian McGoldrick. “He is very stable and in very good spirits.”

Over the weekend it was confirmed McNamara’s injuries also included multiple fractured ribs,a collapsed lung and bleeding into his chest. There was also bleeding into his abdominal cavity and multiple fractured vertebrae.

McNamara sustained his injuries in a fall from Bursledon at the fourth last flight of a handicap hurdle. He was taken to Wexford General Hospital before being transferred to the Mater on Friday evening.