Champion jockey AP McCoy to retire

He’s widely regarded as the greatest jump jockey of all time, but now AP McCoy has announced his intention to call time on his remarkable career.

Announcement

During a post-race interview with Channel 4 Racing on Saturday, AP confirmed that this season is to be his last as a jockey. “I want to go out at the top, I want to go out as Champion jockey,” he told presenter Rishi Persad, adding: “I want to go out while I still enjoy riding.”

The news came just after McCoy had won the Grade 2 Betfair Price Rush Chase at Newbury with Mr Mole, taking him to a total of 200 winners this season.

He’s already well clear in this year’s jockeys’ championship, and is almost certain to claim his 20th consecutive title this April. But McCoy is showing no sign of slowing down for the rest of the season – the day after he announced his retirement he won two races at Leopardstown, including the Grade 1 Hennessy Gold Cup.

Career

Born in Co Antrim in 1974,Anthony Peter (Tony) McCoy madehis racing debut in Ireland in 1992. He moved to the UK in 1994 and since then he has gone on to break all the records in National Hunt racing.

No other has come close to rivalling his 19 consecutive jump jockeys’ championship titles – Peter Scudamore is the next most successful in the overall table, with a total of eight titles. McCoy also holds the record for most wins in a season, having won 289 races in 2001-2002.

He has won all of the biggest races in the National Hunt calendar, including the Cheltenham Gold Cup, the Champion Hurdle, the Champion Chase and the King George IV Chase. In 2010, he finally achieved his lifeling ambition by winning the Grand National on Don’t Push It, and at the end of that year he won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award.

In November 2013 McCoy rode his 4,000th winner – a record no other jockey has come close to.

Family

AP, who celebrated his 40th birthday last May, has two children with his wife Chanelle and his retirement means he will be able to spend more time with his family.

The life of a jockey is often tough. As well as the risk of injury – and McCoy’s list of previous injuries is extensive – there’s a lot of travelling, long hours and the endless pressure to keep their weight down.

Few jump jockeys keep riding into their 40s, so the news of AP’s retirement is not altogether unexpected. What is certain is that racing fans will have to wait a very long time for another star with the same talent, determination and levels of success shown by McCoy.