'Some days you don't want to get up' - jockey describes intense pressure of job

Claiming jockey Jonathan Fisher has opened up about the challenges of being a young rider and how the sport left him feeling so down he struggled to get out of bed and contemplated giving up his licence.

Fisher, 26, is based with Karl Burke in Yorkshire and has ridden two winners this season but has struggled with the relentless pressures associated with being a jockey. He came close to quitting the saddle but has bounced back and is determined to flourish in the final half of the season.

Fisher said: "It's been a hard year. I have only managed to get two winners this year, I've just turned 26 so it makes it more difficult as I can't ride in apprentice races. I got close to just giving it up but I thought I have to try again and keep going.

"It's been really bad you know, some days you just don't want to get up. It all gets to you, even falling out with the girlfriend about it. It's tough, one minute you think 'no I'm not too bad' but the next minute you feel bad. I wouldn't say I got depressed by it but I don't really know – I was just feeling really down.

"What did me the most was the long drives, especially when the horse had run bad and you're driving back thinking about the mistakes over in your head. I think that's the worst part. It's a tiring job, sometimes you have to wait a few days or even a week for a few rides so you just keep going over and over what's gone wrong before."

Fisher enjoyed seven winners last season, his best tally since starting in 2015, but he admits he sought advice from family, friends and trainer Burke before deciding to continue.

The positive rush he felt last month when guiding the Liam Bailey-trained Auxiliary to victory at York is fuelling Fisher's desire to succeed.

"I started to look at jobs away from racing and I was thinking about giving it up," he added. "I had a nice winner at York a few weeks ago, it had been a quiet few months so that winner meant a lot. That gave me such a good feeling that I wanted to carry on.

"I couldn't believe the amount of support I have had with everything, now I just want to make the most of any opportunities that come my way and kick on."

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