Some fantastic stories this week!
This week on your favourite horse racing podcast, The Paddock, we’re joined by Rishi Persad, Oli Bell and jockey great Mick Fitzgerald.
The panel dives into Mick’s Grand National memories including winning it, ending up in a nightclub the night before and THAT famous quote.
There’s an emotional tribute to his father as well as harrowing discussion on the horror fall that ended his career.
Opening up about the fledgling beginnings of his career, Mick told the others how a growth spurt had forced him to leave Ireland when he was just a teenager with very little to try and make it in England.
The 55-year-old explained: “I was 15 and I thought I was going to be the next best thing. I was really light, when I had my very first ride I was 6st 9lb at Gowran Park and I thought I was going to be a flat jockey then because I was small.
“Then obviously I grew and got too heavy to ride in the flat so I said ‘right I’m going to have to go to England’.”
“And I can remember, my dad brought me to the airport, to Dublin, and it was one of the first Ryanair flights going to Luton, and it was sixty quid, and it’s all I had.
“And my dad turned around and he had tears in his eyes, I can see it now, my dad was hard as nails.”
Mick gestures that his dad went to give him money, but he replied, “‘dad I don’t want it, it’s going to work’ and that was it.”
He also spoke about his winless 18-month period during which he “thought the dream was over” but he said he kept morale high by telling himself “this is what I was put on this earth to do and I’m going to do it.”
The Cork man talked more about his Grand National experiences as well as his dad, who he admits “loved a drink”.
He told the story of how he ended up with “no sleep the night before the national” after he brought his dad to the big race the night before to “spend some quality time”, but that while Mick was out sweating his weight down, his dad was enjoying a few tipples, and couldn’t help himself snoring in the hotel room all night after getting back.
Mick shared the special moment of meeting his dad near the gates after he had won the race with his dad “wandering” over to him with his thumb up before telling him, “you did it.”
“That moment is frozen in time for me. It’s probably one of the most precious moments in my life,” the former jockey said.
Mick also shared a lighter side of the 1997 Grand National bomb scare, concerning his dad again, during which the venue was evacuated.
He explained how the good people of Liverpool had opened up their homes for the thousands of spectators, staff and jockeys to drink tea and eat cake while they waited for the situation to blow over.
Mick explained: “There was a lady called Edie Roach who is now in the Hall of Fame for what she did. The people of Liverpool opened their doors to all and it was amazing, and it would only happen in that city.
“I walk into this random lady’s living room and she said, ‘Oh, come on. Come in. Have a cup of tea and sit down and bit of cake and everything.’ And the place is rammed. I mean rammed.
“Every little bit of space is taken with people from all walks of life and countries.
“So anyway, I’m sat down in walks this lad serving the tea. Who is it? Only my dad! He’s serving the tea.
“I had no idea he was there, not a clue. Not a Scooby-Doo!”
Mick’s dad sounds like a right laugh!
Watch the full episode of The Paddock on YouTube or listen wherever you get your podcasts.
#dad #serving #tea
