Trainer Nicky Henderson has paid tribute to Mick Fitzgerald, who announced his retirement from the saddle on Thursday.

The 38-year-old Fitzgerald enjoyed a long and successful partnership with Henderson, riding the likes of Royal & SunAlliance Chase winner Trabolgan and Cheltenham specialist Fondmort for the Lambourn handler.

Fitzgerald had been part of the furniture at the Seven Barrows stable since the mid 1990s, riding a total of 762 winners for that one trainer alone.

And Henderson said: "His greatest attribute to us was that he wasn't just a jockey, he was a team player as far as we were concerned and a great mate. His input was enormous.

"He obviously was a very, very good rider, he was very strong and very good at presenting a horse at an obstacle, but there was much more to it than that.

"We've had a long association, but it was very easy as he was always 100% and the owners knew that.

"We all became friends and it was easy to work and when you think he rode 762 winners for us, which is an awful lot for one yard. That's amazing.

"He was the archetypal stable jockey and his commitment was 100% to us. He was always fully behind this operation and he would like to stay on in some capacity but at the moment he can't ride at all anyway.

"But he could always be here as a guide and helper and a brain. He has always had the ability to work things out and the homework he did was phenomenal."

Henderson pointed to Raymylette's victory in the Cathcart Chase at Cheltenham in 1994 as the one that signalled their arrival as a potent partnership.

"The first significant one was probably Raymylette at Cheltenham when he won the Cathcart," the trainer went on.

"That was his first Cheltenham winner for us and that was when the owners started to believe in the guy we'd got and it started from there. That broke the ice from everybody's point of view."

He then recalled the 2000 Cheltenham Festival when they enjoyed four winners at the March highlight.

"It was 2000 when we had four winners at Cheltenham - Tiutchev, Marlborough, Stormyfairweather and Bacchanal," said Henderson.

"In fairness all of them were great rides in their own way but the ride on Marlborough that day was probably one of the great rides in what was a great week. It was totally Mick that worked him out.

"Mick wanted to do something completely different on him and for ever more we rode him the way he did that day.

"He said we'd been doing it all wrong and by changing those tactics, it changed the horse completely. That was the thinking man's Mick."

Trabolgan's victory in the 2005 Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup at Newbury came just days after Fitzgerald had got back in the saddle following a serious neck injury.

"He'd only been back a week from the previous neck injury so that victory on Trabolgan in the Hennessy was very special. He had been worried if he would ever get back," Henderson added.

"There's no doubt he would have gone on this year and probably next as well if this injury hadn't occurred.

"The whole place here from me, the owners and everybody, it's been a long journey and it's been good fun all the way."

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