Thirty years since Rough Quest and ‘that’ National interview

“After that Des, sex is an anti-climax” – that was the immortal line Mick Fitzgerald delivered to Des Lynam upon winning the Grand National. Thirty years on, the memories of Rough Quest conquering Aintree refuse to fade.

At the time, the young Irishman would unapologetically confess to wanting the Cheltenham Gold Cup on his CV more than any other race on the calendar. But over the course of one April afternoon in 1996, Fitzgerald would learn just what becoming an Aintree hero was all about as he was propelled into the public spotlight.

“I can’t believe it has been 30 years, but the good thing is the memories are as clear as ever,” said Fitzgerald.

“I never hide the fact I wanted to win a Gold Cup more than any other race, but it was only after I won the National I realised the enormity of what I had achieved.

“It hits you like a ton of bricks the amount of media I had to do afterwards. The Gold Cup is a big deal, but you are only a hero for 24 hours, whereas with the National it lasts a lot longer and it transcends sport. You become a national figure rather than just a sporting one.

“Everywhere you go after, you will be introduced as Grand National-winning jockey Mick Fitzgerald, but you would never get that for winning a Champion Chase. It’s the one race everybody has heard of.

“It’s a special thing to do and when you win it you are privileged to be among an elite group. Some of the greatest jockeys of all-time – Jonjo O’Neill, John Francome, Peter Scudamore – never won a National, so it’s something you cherish.”

For Fitzgerald, National glory would prove the perfect compensation for what could have been the Gold Cup that got away.

Only 16 days after driving home from Prestbury Park devastated by a dream crushed by the unforgiving Cheltenham hill, he enjoyed arguably the crowning moment of his career aboard the very same Rough Quest.

The 55-year-old explained: “He was favourite for the National and was very well handicapped on what he had done in the Cheltenham Gold Cup. There was a minute coming down the hill that I thought I was going to win the Gold Cup.

“The disappointment of landing over the last with nothing left was a tough pill to swallow, but there was always the chance he would go for the National.

“The build-up to the race was a bit odd because Terry Casey (trainer) had said it was going to be too soon as there was only a two-week gap, but I got a phone call from my agent Dave Roberts saying he’s really considering running him and I was like ‘wow’, because he was so well handicapped on his form.”

Driven on by that Gold Cup disappointment and with unflappable belief in his mount, Fitzgerald strolled out with youthful exuberance and an air of expectation, relishing his chance to shine on the biggest stage aboard the 7-1 favourite.

Fitzgerald said: “He’d been round the National fences before and ended up on the floor and I had only ridden in the race once and ended up on the deck at the first, but it’s a funny old gig really as I never had a moment’s doubt and had so much faith in the horse.

“It was naivety more than anything else, but I literally just thought I had to get him round.

“I didn’t feel any pressure and if someone says to the cocky 25-year-old that I was you can ride the favourite in the National or ride the third or fourth favourite then I would bite your hand off every time to ride the favourite. Pressure is something you want and if there’s pressure it means you have a chance of winning.”

If post-race interviews were not a thing, then Rough Quest’s victory would be remembered for Fitzgerald’s ice-cool performance in the saddle as he showed patience personified aboard his mount, delaying his challenge until the opportune moment.

However, with the emotions of the biggest victory of his fledgling career still whirling after a stewards’ inquiry that briefly threatened to spoil the party, it would be his comments to BBC anchor Lynam that would ensure Fitzgerald – now a successful broadcaster in his own right – would truly enter Grand National folklore.

“There were an awful lot of things that had gone on when I said what I did to Des Lynam,” explained Fitzgerald.

“It was after the stewards’ inquiry and I actually thought I might lose the race having watched the head on. To suddenly think you have won the world’s greatest steeplechase to then be the first jockey to lose it in the stewards’ room put my emotions on overdrive.

“The palpable relief of all that happening tied into the fact I had actually just won the National, I think I can be forgiven for what I said. It’s something I’m not ashamed of and I make no bones about it, it’s what I felt at the time – it’s better to be remembered for something than nothing at all!”

But if the National made Fitzgerald’s career, it would also end it. For some 12 years later, a crushing fall at the second from Francois Doumen’s L’Ami resulted in the then 37-year-old leaving Aintree for the final time aboard a stretcher.

That cruel twist in a career that harboured over 1,250 victories, including some of the sport’s biggest prizes, has little bearing on Fitzgerald’s overriding emotions when he steps foot on Merseyside, with the memories of that one day aboard Rough Quest instantly flooding to the forefront of his mind.

“It was unfortunate what happened and it was unfortunate it happened in the Grand National as it could have happened in any race,” explained Fitzgerald.

“I certainly don’t hold that against Liverpool and when I walk through the gates at Aintree my abiding memories are always of winning the race.

“The truth of it is I have never been able to sit on a horse again, but I would never hold that against the race and when I’m there it’s Rough Quest and the great days that are in my mind.”

He went on: “Liverpool is a magical place and when there was the bomb scare, literally the whole of Liverpool opened their doors to all and sundry stuck in the city – that wouldn’t have happened anywhere else.

“The Grand National is Liverpool’s race and the people are extremely proud of that. For those three days it means an awful lot to them and they make it the race it is.”

The only question remaining is does Fitzgerald still agree with his most famous utterance to Lynam three decades ago?

He answered: “I’ve remarried since, so maybe it might be a different statement this time around!”