BEING lost for words has never been one of Mick Fitzgerald’s failings. In a profession that treasures economy with words, Fitzy has always talked above his weight, and he is as much in demand behind a microphone as he was for the big days of the jumping season.

But at Towcester recently, even Fitzgerald was reduced to silence. The new recruit to At The Races was to interview Barry Geraghty, Nicky Henderson’s new stable jockey, in effect his own replacement. All Fitzy could blurt out was, “Well done, well done” after Geraghty’s winning debut for the stable.

Fitzgerald recalls a month on: “I felt the door shut on my career. I had a big lump in my throat.”

Plenty of jockeys will testify to the awful void that follows retirement from the saddle. The rhythm of a jockey’s day is so all-consuming that there is no time to contemplate the “afterlife”. But Fitzgerald has the solidity of character, the knowledge and the natural eloquence to be a huge asset in his new role. He still cannot quite forget the old routine, still catches himself checking the runners in the paper and wondering why his name is not on the list. But the launch of his autobiography this week and a slot on the Channel 4 team at the Open Meeting at Cheltenham, the first big jumps fixture of the season, will ward off the past for a week or two.

“No, I’m not getting used to it yet,” he says. “It’s strange to be talking about them, not riding them. But I’m lucky. I’ve got a good base for my career and I have enjoyed every moment of what I’ve done.”

L’Ami in the Grand National proved to be his final ride. He would have survived worse falls in his time, but the pair fell at the second and, in one of the most telling passages of an excellent book, Fitzgerald tells how he lay on the ground, unable to feel anything.

“The only thought that went through my head was for my two little boys,” he says. “I know it sounds cheesy, but that’s the truth.”

A specialist delivered the verdict in August. “He told me I couldn’t ride again at all, let alone race-ride,” said Fitzgerald.

Cheltenham marked his retirement – and his 14 Festival winners – by naming a race in his honour. Plumpton framed a print of all his winners and presented it to him last week. He was touched by both gestures.

“For Cheltenham to do that for me was very moving. I grew up wanting to ride winners at Cheltenham and my first Festival winner [on Raymylette] is still the highlight of my career. But Plumpton didn’t have to do anything, so that was brilliant too.”

It will hit the Irishman hard this weekend when he walks into the grand old arena in the Cotswolds without taking up his old peg. Henderson, his old boss, had a four-timer at Ascot and Wetherby recently, which augurs well for Barber’s Shop, owned by the Queen, at the Open meeting.

“He’s going to get better with age,” says Fitzgerald, who is vice-president at Henderson’s Seven Barrows Stable. “He’s been a bit frustrating, but he’s got alot of natural talent.”

Two days before his injury, he went to Taunton rather than Liverpool, though he had rides at both meetings. His horsemanship was still undiminished.

Better Than Sex, the autobiography of Mick Fitzgerald (with Donn McClean) Highdown Publishing, £18.99