A JOCKEY from Huddersfield is on the mend after a serious fall at a race meeting.

Suzzanne France, 26, was badly injured at Redcar.

But the Yorkshire-based jockey is making slight progress in hospital following the frightening fall this week.

Miss France, a former Holmfirth High School student, has been in the racing game since she was 16.

She has been moved from the high-dependency unit at the James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough to a general ward after her condition improved.

Miss France was `unshipped' when her mount, Uace Mac, was hampered over a furlong out in a six-furlong handicap on Tuesday.

Her horse appeared to clip the heels of another, Almora Guru. Miss France fell head-first into the ground and her horse cartwheeled and landed on top of her, causing multiple injuries.

The other jockey, Liam Jones, was later banned for nine days for the incident.

Malton-based Neville Bycroft, trainer of Uace Mac, said: "There has more encouragement.

"She's started to come round and they've moved to a general ward, which suggests they think she is improving.

"There don't seem to be any broken bones as far as they can tell and the second brain scan did not show any major damage," he added.

"I saw a replay of the fall again last night and I think she was lucky to survive."

Miss France, who has ridden many winners in her career, left Huddersfield to go on a course at the British Racing School in Newmarket.

She then joined trainer Nigel Tinkler at Langton, near Malton, for a three-year apprenticeship.

She then moved to Andrew Turrell's yard for a short spell.

In 2003 she moved to Mr Bycroft's stables at Malton and has enjoyed a successful career there.