18-times champion jockey A P McCoy
A P McCoy achieved another huge milestone yesterday in an already illustrious riding career when notching up his 4,000th winner aboard Mountain Tunes at Towcester.
In typical A P fashion, it was a hard earned victory as the 18-times champion jockey galvanised his mount from the last hurdle to win by half a length. Timing is everything as A P said in one of many post-celebratory interviews. How appropriate that such a record should be achieved on a horse owned by J P McManus and trained by Jonjo O’Neill, his two closest supporters during the last decade.
Tributes have poured in from former and current weighing room colleagues, trainers and others outside racing including Arsene Wenger, manager of McCoy’s beloved Arsenal.
Solario Racing would like to add its congratulations to an amazingly talented, resilient and dedicated jockey who has been a consummate professional and the ultimate ambassador for national hunt racing.
So what beckons now for Tony McCoy? Five thousand winners? Sir Gordon Richards’ record 4,870 winners? His immediate focus will be in the 3.45 at Southwell today when he rides Forthefunofit in the two mile bumper.
Bookmaker odds of 5/1 for McCoy to achieve 5,000 winners may be ludicrously short but I’d be interested in odds of A P becoming only the second every jockey to be knighted.
