InterviewJim Crowley
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'My stomach was swelling up as there was so much blood in it' - how a champion jockey cheated death to embark on a 'mad' new career
Jim Crowley tells Peter Thomas about the fall that ended his 29-year riding career and his forthcoming life as a trainer
Peter ThomasSenior features writer
Jim Crowley, retired rider, prospective trainer, relaxes at home in SussexCredit: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)
The photo gallery on Jim Crowley's phone is pretty graphic. If it were subject to the scrutiny of the British Board of Phone Censors it wouldn't pass the threshold for family viewing, that's for sure.
It is a frame-by-frame retelling of the moments when his world came close to falling apart – a horror story followed by a tale of recovery, with hopefully a little battery life left for an uplifting and glorious Hollywood ending.
It starts with the stills of the race at York on September 7 last year when Crowley's mount, Almeraq, hit the turf, jockey and all, at slightly north of 40mph, with consequences that were savage but unsurprising.
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- 'I was scared - I didn't know how I'd end up or what my next steps would be'
- ‘He was the most majestic Flat horse I’ve seen and his story was way bigger than Frankel’s - people today don’t realise how extraordinary it was’
- FREE TO READ: 'When we had those big winners you think the job's easy - but by God you get older and realise you didn't know what was happening'
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