Brian O'Connor

The apprentice jockey Sean Cleary was described yesterday as being "critically ill" in Dublin's Beaumont Hospital.

Athlone-born Cleary was airlifted to Beaumont on Sunday night after sustaining serious head injuries in a fall at Galway earlier that afternoon.

Yesterday, the Turf Club Medical Officer, Dr Walter Halley, provided a sombre report on the jockey who has ridden 14 winners this season.

"Sean Cleary is critically ill with severe head injuries," Halley said. "He is in the neuro-surgical department of Beaumont and is on a life-support machine. He is in the special head injuries unit but beyond that I can't say."

Cleary, apprenticed to trainer Pat Flynn, fell from All Heart in the Corrib Oil Auction Race, the first race at Galway on Sunday. He was taken to Galway University Hospital and was then airlifted having been stabilised.

At Leopardstown yesterday, another apprentice, Helen Keohane, was left unconscious after falling from the Harry Rogers-trained Mikes Baby on the way to the start for the third race.

"She was deeply unconscious when I got to her but by the time she got to St Vincent's she was semi-conscious. I've stood her down for 21 days and she will stay in overnight for the full range of x-rays," said Halley.

The race itself was off almost quarter of an hour late as the Order of Malta attended to Co Cork-born Keohane.

Keohane, a 5lb claimer, is attached to the Liam Browne stable.