Anthony Peter McCoy, otherwise known as AP McCoy or sometimes Tony McCoy, MBE, OBE, BBC Sportsman of the Year and winner of the 2010 Grand National.Winning the Grand National had always been his dream – he had achieved most other things in horse racing. But the Grand National had always eluded him. Strong finishes, yes, but that actual win seemed as if it would never happen. That is not until 2010, when he rode Don’t Push It, a Jonjo O’Neil trained horse, to a glorious victory.
2010 was the fifteenth time he had ridden in the Grand National. It is estimated that he had raced over 30,000 miles before that one. That is a total of around 13,000 races in a sparkling career that notched up a first win in Ireland in March 1992 when he was only 17 years old.
He started racing in England in 1994. In his first season he won 74 races, and in his second he was awarded Champion Jockey. Since then he has broken just about every record going. He has won more races in a season than anyone else, won five times at the Cheltenham festival, and was the fastest jockey to claim 1,000 victories. He was also the first jump jockey to win 2,500 races.
He had won all the major national Hunt races including the Cheltenham Gold Cup, the Champion Hurdle, the Queen Mother Champion Chase, and the King George VI Chase, but until 2010 his best Grand National result had been third. In fact he had finished third on three occasions, twice riding Blowing Wind and once on Clan Royal.
McCoy might be forgiven if all the success and all the plaudits had gone to his head, but there is no need for forgiveness. Despite his brilliant career he remains a very modest and mild mannered man and is more likely to attribute his personal success to others who have helped him on his way.
In today’s world of celebrity and egotism, it is rare to find an individual like Tony McCoy; a true champion.
Fri, Feb 25, 2011
Cheltenham