Mick Fitzgerald was born on 10th May 1970 and is now a retired Irish jockey who won outstanding acclaim throughout his illustrious National Hunt career. Although of Irish descent, Fitzgerald registered more of his wins in Great Britain than in his native land. After retirement, the soft-spoken champion jockey became a television racing presenter, a plum media position he still holds today.
With a successful career that spanned beyond 15 years, Mick Fitzgerald started riding as a boy, often practicing with Richard Lister, a locally recognised trainer in County Wexford. As his interest in horses and horse riding mounted, he further moved to Curragh to ride out for a well-known stable owner called John Hayden. Upon leaving school at 18, Fitzgerald gained weight and thus shifted to National Hunt racing.
Despite his several apprenticeships and scores of professional ties, Fitzgerald’s first sporting victories didn’t come until the 1991 and 1992 racing seasons when the talented rider attained substantial success. These important career boosting wins came from his new partnership with Ray Callow’s Duncan Idaho and Jackie Retter.
After showing promise, Mick Fitzgerald partnered with Nicky Henderson. This training deal ended up lasting right up to the very end of his prosperous career. His most spectacular wins include the Rough Quest ride to an impressive Grand National victory in 1996 and the 1999 Cheltenham Gold Cup title, which he clinched on See More Business. In interviews, Fitzgerand has hinted that his initial lack of success in Europe almost lured him out of the continent to try his luck in Australia.
