Clifford Lee was a competitive boxer, who was taught to ride by his uncle, (a former showjumper), before enrolling on a course at the British Racing School in Newmarket. Lee then worked for Ed Walker, before relocating to North Yorkshire to ride for Karl Burke, where he remains today. 

Lee rode his first Royal Ascot winner in 2021 when Burke-trained Significant won the Palace of Holyroodhouse Stakes. He followed that with his first Group race success in May 2022, again for Burke, aboard El Caballo in the Group 2 Sandy Lane Stakes. Lee achieved his first Group 1 success in August 2025 when Venetian Sun won the Prix Morny at Deauville. 

In October 2025, Lee suffered a serious neck injury in a cross-country motorbike accident while on holiday in Scotland. After five and a half months out, he returned to the racecourse in 2026 and rode a winner on just his second ride back. The comeback was made even more remarkable by the fact that Al Qareem had also recovered from a life-threatening infection, marking an extraordinary return for both horse and jockey.