Jimmy FitzGerald to hand reins to son Tim

Cheltenham Gold Cup winning trainer Jimmy FitzGerald sends out his last runners from his Malton base this week before handing over the reins to his son, Tim.

FitzGerald, 67, landed the blue riband prize of steeplechasing with Forgive ‘N Forget in 1985 and has saddled more than 1200 winners since taking out a licence in 1969.

The master of Norton Grange stables has two runners at Wetherby tomorrow – Mr No Man in the Rocom Handicap Hurdle and Ballad Minstrel in the Brandsby Handicap Chase – but he does have entries at another Yorkshire track, Doncaster, on Friday.

“I don’t know if tomorrow’s will be my last runners. Tim takes over on March 1 (Saturday) .

“I would like to sign off with a winner but I don’t think so,” said FitzGerald today.

He does though hope to continue to play a part in the stable. “To be active that’s the intention anyway,” he went on.

He believes the time is right to retire, having seen other trainers such as Peter Easterby and Ian Balding pass the mantle to their sons.

“We’ve had good times but it’s time to let someone else have a go.

“Everybody else seems to be doing it so I thought I’d better do the same,” added FitzGerald, who was a successful jump jockey winning the 1965 Scottish Grand National on Brasher before fracturing his skull in a career-ending fall the following year.

He went on to saddle Androma to win successive Scottish Nationals in 1984 and ‘85 as well as having a total of six Cheltenham Festival winners.

FitzGerald could also mix it with the best on the Flat and among his 350 winners on the level were Sapience in the Princess Of Wales’s Stakes and the Ebor as well as the Cesarewitch with Trainglot and Kayudee.