23 years ago, Irish jockey Declan Murphy suffered a fall jumping the last hurdle at Haydock Park.

 

The hoof of the following horse came down on his head and his skull was broken in 12 places. With such catastrophic injuries, he was not expected to live. He received the last rites and the Racing Post prepared to publish his obituary.

 

He recovered. 18 months later he returned to race one more time, and won.

 

We talk to Declan about re-living his childhood while in a coma, what he remembers of his life before the accident, how he reconstructed his body and mind afterwards, and why after more than two decades, he has decided to go through the emotional process of telling his incredible story.

We have two more great shows coming up this week, including an in depth chat on Thursday about this season’s amazing Champions League. On Friday we’ll have the latest instalment of Ken’s wildly popular political podcast (not always about politics), and next week we have Richie Sadlier’s Players Chair. If you’re not already a member, get access to all these shows by joining our world service.

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