A fall from L’Ami in April’s Grand National rendered the 38 year old Mick Fitzgerald with a serious neck and knee ligament damage. In fact, he had to undergo two rounds of surgery to realign three vertebrae and two discs.

It was the advice of medical experts that had forced Mick to consider retirement; and he has no repents as he anyway had a great career in racing. May I remind you that Fitzgerald had already suffered a broken neck in a separate fall two years ago.

However after that he had still managed to win the Grand National on board Rough Quest in 1996 and had also claimed the 1999 Cheltenham Gold Cup with See More Business. He had abandoned retirement plans a year ago; but this terrible fall forced him to consider retirement as he considers himself fortunate to be at least alive today.

He says that he never did like listening to the idea of retirement, but that he had always respected medical opinion and considered better to accept their decision. And with this, I have found out that he will be giving up horse riding, but with a lump in his throat as he has always loved horse racing.