Jockey George Baker remains in a stable condition after suffering a fall from his mount on the frozen lake at St Moritz in Switzerland.

A three-time Group 1 winning rider, Baker was partnering Boomerang Bob in the first race of the day in front of a crowd of 10,000.

Both were brought down when two rivals in front of them fell inside the final furlong. Baker was initially placed in an induced coma and airlifted to a trauma hospital 100km away in Chur.

The remainder of the card was cancelled and unfortunately Jamie Osborne’s eight-year-old gelding was fatally injured by the fall.

Baker’s wife Nicola, who flew out immediately to be by his side, said: “The best thing is he’s out of a coma, breathing on his own and able to move of his own accord, because when I got on the plane the last I knew was he was in a coma and breathing through apparatus.

“It wasn’t until I landed I learned any more, which came as a massive relief. Everything else is a bonus.”

Baker had one of his best seasons to date in 2016 taking his first Classic, the Ladbrokes St Leger, with the Laura Mongan-trained Harbour Law, a poignant victory.

A regular around the likes of Lingfield Park, he enjoyed the third of his Group 1 victories at the end of the season in France.

A crack in the ice had occurred on the inner rails of the racetrack

In a typical Bakeresque ride, he brought through Roger Charlton’s Quest For More to land the two mile and a half Prix du Cadran at Chantilly.

White Turf, the race organiser’s, said a crack was found in the ice after Baker’s fall.

“Following a detailed investigation by the race management and those responsible for White Turf, a crack in the ice had occurred on the inner rails of the racetrack, some 150m from the finishing line,” said a spokesman for White Turf.

“This meant that water had come up to undermine the racetrack. The safety of the horses and the riders could no longer be guaranteed.”