'I hope it will be a big season' - Paul Hanagan looking ahead after 2,000th win

Paul Hanagan is looking forward to 2021 being bigger and better than ever after reaching the career landmark of 2,000 British winners.

The jockey has put on "9lb or 10lb of muscle" since a career-threatening fall at Newcastle last February left him with three fractured vertebrae and serious doubt over whether he would ever ride again.

Hanagan marvelled at the irony that the incident was at the very same course he rode his landmark winner on Anif on Tuesday night, becoming just the fifth current jockey in Britain to make it to 2,000 on the Flat.

"You couldn't write it, could you?" he said. "In February I was getting stretchered off there and when the fall happened it was one of the scariest moments of my life.

"I tried to get up and I couldn't. You can imagine the thoughts that were going through my mind, being very good friends with Freddy Tylicki who wasn't as lucky as I was.

"So you're going from one extreme to riding my 2,000th winner at the same place – it's pretty unbelievable.

Paul Hanagan: 'I don't think people realise how close I came to not being able to get back'Credit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

"I don't think people realise how close I came to not being able to get back. But the operation was successful and the help from Jack Berry House was the turning point."

The former champion, who returned to action in the summer, added: "I'm hoping reaching 2,000 sends the message out to those starting out, or people who are going through a tough time in life as I did with my accident: I hope it gives them the motivation to keep going, to stick at it.

"Tuesday was really special. It was a shame there was no crowd there but I knew deep down the amount of people who were behind me and watching. I thought my phone was going to explode, it was so manic with all the messages."

Watch Hanagan ride his 2,000th winner

Hanagan plans to continue riding on the all-weather until Christmas and then have a break to prepare for next season.

"I hope it will be a big season as I feel I'm riding as well as ever," he said. "After the accident I had the chance to come back better and stronger and I took it with both hands. I've managed to put muscle on and I actually feel better now than before.

"I've put on 9lb or 10lb – in years gone by people took the saddle off me and got a shock when they felt the weight, most of it lead, but that's not the case now, there's more muscle and I feel a big difference."

Hanagan turned 40 in September but cited the longevity of older weighing-room colleagues Frankie Dettori, Joe Fanning and Franny Norton and said: "It's how well you look after yourself and keep injury-free and if I can do that I feel I've got quite a few years left."

He does not lack for motivation as he said: "After the fall I appreciate it more and I go out riding everything as though it's my last ride – that's how close it came."

Hanagan in numbers

Winners in Britain 2000
Ireland 2
Rest of the world 96
First Group win Golden Legacy, Firth Of Clyde Stakes, September 2004
First Group 1 win Wootton Bassett, Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere, October 2010
Group 1 wins 10
Classic winner Taghrooda, Investec Oaks, 2014
Best tally in Britain205, 2010

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