Former flat jockey Fran Berry has said he feels "extremely lucky" in retirement from racing following his recovery from a "horror fall" that left him with spinal injuries last January.
The Kildare native was on Friday Night Racing to preview the weekend's racing and talk about how he is adapting to life off the course.
In January, Berry suffered six fractured vertebrae and broke four ribs when his mount Bamako Du Chatelet came down during a race in Wolverhampton.
Having recovered in hospital, Berry initially sought to make a comeback but finally decided to retire in April after realising the battle against his doctor's advice was futile.
"I was trying to prove them wrong in the gym and that. You're trying to find a way around it", he told Ger Gilroy and Johnny Ward, "but, once the decision was made it was nearly just a relief to put it out there."
When asked how the life-changing news that he had to retire was broken to him, Berry said that upon seeing his latest scans, his doctor simply recommended thinking about a new career ahead of his next appointment
"Until I met him he put me on notice. But, then you're in a bit of turmoil.
"In my heart, I knew I was battling in the gym. My neck movement and strength wasn't responding the way we wanted it to in all the rehab work.
"Usually, with any injury I've had, you can see progress in the rehab work and it wasn't happening so it wasn't a total shock.
"I know how lucky I was. That was a horror fall in Wolverhampton that day. I've colleagues who have come off a lot worse in falls.
"I feel very, very lucky to be walking around as normal and can do things with my family and start a new career. And I was 38 I had ridden for 23 years, I felt I hadn't missed much. If it was ten years earlier maybe it would be different."
Although his exit from the sport was not on his terms, Berry says that a 23-year career was fulfilling enough to not have any regrets or unfinished business.
"I appreciate it and on reflection, there is nothing that I'm like I missed that or want to do that. I think I covered a lot of ground.
"I did far better than I ever expected to do starting off or hoped to do", he concluded.
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