Why Cheltenham will be tough for Irish rover Fitz

13 April 2012

Former jockey Mick Fitzgerald admits next week's Cheltenham Festival is going to be hard to face as he heads to the meeting for the first time since his retirement from the saddle.

Fitzgerald has ridden countless winners at Prestbury Park over the years including the Gold Cup on See More Business and the Champion Chase on Call Equiname in 1999.

But Fitzgerald sadly had to call time on his 20-year career after suffering serious neck damage and a knee ligament problem following a fall from L'Ami in the Grand National last April.

The Irishman, 38, who has gone on to begin a career in the media working for At The Races as well as the BBC and Channel 4, will be in the thick of the action come Tuesday, playing the role of roving reporter but will miss being legged up in the famous parade ring.

"It's going to be very tough for me, especially with the Nicky Henderson camp doing so well and having so many high-profile runners," he said. "I'd love to be going into the Festival with that book of rides."

Henderson's Binocular will head into the Champion Hurdle on the first day of the meeting as one of the shortest-priced favourites of the week - but some are questioning his liking for the track after suffering defeat in the Supreme Novices' Hurdle 12 months ago.

"I wouldn't have ridden Binocular in the Champion Hurdle anyway as he's owned by AP McCoy's boss JP McManus," said Fitzgerald, who became Henderson's stable jockey in 1991. "He was beaten by a very good horse in Captain Cee Bee in the Supreme last year and it was the first time AP had ridden him.

"They went to Aintree next time and made no mistake. AP has ridden him twice this season and got on brilliantly with him."

The Henderson-trained Punchestowns, who bids to get back on track in the Ladbrokes World Hurdle next Thursday having been beaten in the Cleeve Hurdle at Cheltenham last time, and the yard's Barbers Shop, who is owned by the Queen and takes his chance in the Gold Cup on Friday, would have been big-race mounts for Fitzgerald (left).

"Punchestowns was beaten by Big Buck's on very bad ground last time and if Nicky hadn't been desperate to get a run into him, he probably wouldn't have run," said Fitzgerald.

"Punchestowns looked the winner between the second last and the last in the Cleeve and he just got tired.

"Barbers Shop is a similar horse to Punchestowns in that we always thought he would continue to improve with time. He ran a very good race in the Paddy Power Gold Cup behind Imperial Commander and he won very well at Sandown last time.

"Again his trainer has side-stepped taxing engagements for this fellow and he heads to Cheltenham a very fresh horse."

Ironically L'Ami, the horse on whom Fitzgerald had his final ride, will also be at Cheltenham and is ante-post favourite for Tuesday's Cross-Country Chase.

But Fitzgerald is just happy to be present at the best four days of jumps racing in the world, adding: "I'm delighted I will be back at Cheltenham. Okay, it's in a different capacity to what it used to be, but it was never going to go on forever anyway."

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