Fitzgerald reflects on the most famous National interview of them all 

His comments to the BBC that would ensure Fitzgerald — now a successful broadcaster in his own right — would truly enter Grand National folklore.

AINTREE HEROES: Mick Fitzgerald and Rough Quest on their way to victory in 1996 Grand National. ‘I literally just thought I had to get him round,’ he says. Pic: Healy Racing

“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.