Mick Fitzgerald certainly made the correct decision when he retired from riding.
But how he would have liked the current crop of horses in the care of his great friend Nicky Henderson to have been around a couple of seasons earlier.
The partnership between the approachable 'Fitz' and the Eton-educated trainer has outlasted all others but wear and tear finally told and after a serious neck injury in this year's Grand National, the doctors told 'Fitz' to call it a day at the age of 38.
Henderson provided Fitzgerald with his first Cheltenham Festival success in 1994 and 761 other winners, but it was time for a change at Seven Barrows stables in Lambourn.
With JP McManus among the owners, his retained jockey Tony McCoy was always going to be a part of the plans but Henderson decided to call upon Barry Geraghty, too.
Once a regular visitor from Ireland, Geraghty had not enjoyed the best of seasons back home and has been flying over for the big meetings, much like Ruby Walsh does for Paul Nicholls.
Henderson explains: ‘Of course we have missed Mick - it goes without saying - but Barry has been great, AP (McCoy) has been an enormous help and Andrew Tinkler, Marcus Foley and Felix de Giles are still doing seriously well and they are helping an awful lot for us at the stable.
‘They have all been with us for a long time and will have their horses to ride, too.’
The winners have been steaming in. Following Nicky in November has long been an adage in jumping, coming to fruition most notably on the 21st day of the month.
Geraghty claimed three for the stable at Ascot aboard top sorts My Petra, Chomba Womba and Jack The Giant while McCoy helped Binocular reach the top of the Champion Hurdle betting with an easy win at Haydock. Tinkler then did his bit for the side on Bonikos over at Huntingdon
‘It's great having AP on our side from time to time,’ continues Henderson.
‘Barry tends to come over at the weekends and he does some schooling, but AP tends to come in once a week as well.
‘It is not like having Mick on your doorstep I must admit, but the good thing is that I do have Mick on my doorstep!
‘I talk to him every day and before various important things. I can talk to him about the horses and he can help as much as I can really.
‘Not that AP and Barry aren't getting to know the horses, but Mick comes in every time we're schooling and tells them exactly what to do, as you can imagine!
‘But you can't do any of this without good horses and we have a nice bunch of new young ones coming through.’
There are many more. Three more winners came along on Hennessy day, Punjabi has claims to the Champion crown after taking the rearranged ‘Fighting Fifth’ at Wetherby, Barbers Shop is emerging as an outside candidate for the Gold Cup and there are others like Mad Max and Punchestowns to get excited about.
These riches mean Henderson is not even too far off Nicholls at the top of the trainers' championship.
‘There are a few of us fighting it out this year,’ he says.
‘We all get on well and have fun together, and that's what National Hunt racing is all about. We have been top of the pile ourselves, but that was a long time ago, pre-(Martin) Pipe even!
‘Jack The Giant is on the sidelines through injury but we have others coming back, and quite a few of them.’
Fitzgerald will be pleased.
