Tony McCoy

For the football player of the same name see Tony McCoy (football player).

Anthony Peter McCoy, MBE (born 4 May 1974, Moneyglass, County Antrim, Northern Ireland), more commonly known as A.P. McCoy or Tony McCoy, is a horse racing jockey who is widely regarded as the finest jump jockey of all time.

Tony McCoy

McCoy rode his first winner, "Legal Steps", at Thurles on 26 March 1992. Success in Ireland soon led to a move across the Irish Sea, and he began riding in England in 1994.

McCoy rode his 3000th winner at Plumpton on the Nicky Henderson trained 'Restless D'Artaix' in the Tyser & Co Beginners’ Chase on 9th February 2009. 'Restless D'Artaix' was sent off a 13-8 Favourite for the race.

McCoy has broken numerous records since he was granted a British licence, his first win in England coming at Exeter on 7 September, 1994. He was soon off to a flying start by claiming a record 74 winners, and thus the conditional jockey championship, in the 1994-1995 season. The following season he was champion jockey, a feat that he has repeated in each of the twelve following seasons. During that run he has also set a new National Hunt record for winners in a season (253) and also become the fastest jockey to reach the 1000 winner mark. McCoy then beat Sir Gordon Richards record for winners in a season for all types of racing in 2002, (although by using modern technology McCoy was able to attend far more races than Richards). McCoy beat Sir Gordon's record of 269 winners in a season on Valfonic at Warwick on 2 April, 2002, and he went on to end the campaign on 289.

McCoy soon achieved a new high of 289 winners, and on 27 August, 2002, at Uttoxeter, his victory on Mighty Mantefalco meant he had surpassed Richard Dunwoody's record of all time jumps winners and was now the leading jumps rider of all time. McCoy has ridden 3,000 winners during his career (as of February 2009). Celebrities in Great Britain have been known to praise McCoy's talents over the years, with footballer Steve McManaman describing him to BBC radio once as an 'absolute legend'.

Winner of the Cheltenham Gold Cup, Champion Hurdle, Queen Mother Champion Chase and King George VI Chase McCoy has few targets left to chase, to ride 300 winners in a season and to win the Grand National. The nearest McCoy came in the National were three third-place finishes, in 2001 and 2002 aboard Martin Pipe's Blowing Wind (as the 8-1 favourite in 2002), and in 2006 on Jonjo O'Neill's 5-1 joint favourite, Clan Royal. His latest Grand National attempt in the 2008 race ended in disappointment when he was a faller at Becher's Brook, the 22nd fence, on 16-1 shot Butler's Cabin.

He is retained by the Irish millionaire and avid horse-owner, J. P. McManus, and normally rides for the ex-jockey Jonjo O'Neill's stable. McCoy can often be noticed riding a McManus horse by the owner's distinctive green and gold hooped jersey, often with a white cap.

McCoy is remarkable in the racing world for being both exceptionally tall and heavy. He stands 5'10½", and has a minimum weight of around 10st 3lb, yet lets neither factor affect his ability. For a short period in his career he was in trouble with racing stewards over the way he used his whip on certain rides. One of these occasions was when he won on Eudipe in the 1999 Mildmay Cazalet Chase.

On March 14th 2008, in the David Nicholson Mares Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival, McCoy was close to giving one of the best winning rides the festival has ever seen. The mare Refinement never travelled during the race, but the skill and persistence of McCoy got Refinement to stay on up Cheltenham's famous uphill run-in, only to take the lead then get headed again by the rallying Whiteoak, ridden by Jason Maguire in the final strides. It will still go down as one of the best rides in defeat seen at the National Hunt Festival at Prestbury Park, Cheltenham.

He wrote an autobiography, McCoy in 2003, to follow up his first book Real McCoy: My Life So Far, released in 1999.

McCoy is married to Chanelle and they have a child together in Lambourn, Berkshire.

McCoy is a big Arsenal F.C. supporter.

Achievements

• Champion Jockey: 1995/6, 1996/7, 1997/8, 1998/9, 1999/2000, 2000/1, 2001/2, 2002/3, 2003/4, 2004/5, 2005/6, 2006/7, 2007/8.

• Lester Awards:
  • Conditional Jockey of the Year: 1995.
  • Jump Jockey of the Year: 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007.
  • Jockey of the Year: 1997 (award discontinued after 1997).

• Best season: 289 winners in 2001/2 (a British jumps record).

• 1,000th winner: Majadou, Cheltenham, December 11, 1999.

• 1,500th winner: Celtic Native, Exeter, December, 2001.

• 2,000th winner: Magical Bailiwick Wincanton, 17 January 2004.

• 3,000th winner: Restless D'Artaix on 9th February 2009

• Champion Chase winner: Edredon Bleu 2000.

• Champion Hurdle winners: Make A Stand 1997, Brave Inca, 2006.

• Cheltenham Gold Cup winner: Mr. Mulligan, 1997.

• Equalled the record with five winners at the 1998 Cheltenham Festival.

• King George winner: Best Mate 2002.

• Irish Grand National winner: Butler's Cabin, 2007.

Seasonal totals of winners

• 1994/5 74
• 1995/6 175
• 1996/7 189
• 1997/8 253
• 1998/9 186
• 1999/2000 245
• 2000/1 191
• 2001/2 289
• 2002/3 256
• 2003/4 209
• 2004/5 200
• 2005/6 178
• 2006/7 184
• 2007/8 140

See also

• List of jockeys