Former point-to-point rider and champion farrier Stevie Fisher experienced an emotional victory this week at Plumpton Racecourse in the UK, when his horse Mark of Gold triumphed in a maiden hurdle for trainer Gary Moore.
The Racing Post reports that since suffering a stroke in 2014, Fisher has been a victim of locked-in syndrome.
The National Organization for Rare Disorders explains: “Individuals with locked-in syndrome are conscious and awake, but have no ability to produce movements (outside of eye movement) or to speak (aphonia). Cognitive function is usually unaffected.”
In Fisher's case, his only means of communication is via his left eyelid. He is able to blink out letters on a computer, and has written a book titled “Blinkin' 'Ell – Stevie Fisher's Roughest Ride.”
“What's extraordinary about him is that his basic sense of humor and status as the best man at the party are still there,” sportscaster and Fisher's book editor Brough Scott told the Racing Post prior to Mark of Gold's win. “On the walls are pictures of him winning competitions as a farrier, jumping huge fences and him at Cheltenham and that's still the man in the bed. He is an affirmation that the human spirit is an extraordinary thing.”
When Mark of Gold passed the wire first at Plumpton, there were not many dry eyes in the winner's circle. It was Fisher's first time at the track since COVID began.
Fisher gave an emotional post-race interview to trainer Moore's daughter, Hayley, with Sky Sports Racing.
“I have always followed racing, and have enjoyed having a bet,” Fisher said via the Skyle device that allows him to communicate. “Now, the racing has become more important to me because it gives me something that I really love to follow. The Injured Jockeys Fund have made sure I have the racing to watch by getting my Skyle. The better I have become at using my Eye Gaze, the more I have been able to see a racing paper, because to start with on a Saturday my wife used to email me the runners so I could pick some losers! Now I can see a racing paper I can follow much more, giving my mind something to think about, and has made following the racing so important to me.”
Read more at Racing Post and Sky Sports Racing, and watch the post-race interview below.
One of the best post-race interviews there'll ever be!
A wonderful moment at @plumptonraces today as @hayleyjanemoore speaks with winning owner of Mark Of Gold Stevie Fisher, who suffers from locked-in syndrome pic.twitter.com/Jo3ZO4KptV
— Sky Sports Racing (@SkySportsRacing) January 19, 2022
The post ‘Human Spirit Is An Extraordinary Thing’: Owner With Locked-In Syndrome Celebrates Emotional Win appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
