Updated at 19.45
THE ANTRIM GREAT is set to bow out this weekend after a glittering career.
Legal Steps
Thurles, March 1992
Little did racegoers attending the spring meeting at Thurles 23 years ago realise it but they were witnessing the birth of a sporting legend when McCoy rode Jim Bolger’s Legal Steps to success in a modest flat race aged 17. The first win for a man who would go on to claim 20 jockey’s titles and over 4,350 winners.
Family Business
Southwell, January 2002
McCoy turned a mundane midwinter novice chase into a magical example of his iron will to win. Onboard Martin Pipe’s young chaser Family Business, whose inexperience led to a fall at the 10th fence. On hearing the racecourse commentary relate how one by one his rivals were suffering similar misfortune he managed to get back on board the odds-on favourite, retake the fence, complete a circuit of the course, and claim first prize, to the gratitude and astonishment of those who’d backed his mount into odds-on favouritism. Pipe recalled: “Unbelievable, the race must have taken 20 minutes. But that just shows his determination to win, because he was on the floor, still thinking about winning and taking it all in.”
Don’t Push It
Aintree – April 2010
After 14 failed attempts at the Grand National McCoy was beginning to think he’d end up like former greats John Francome and Jonjo O’Neill and never win the Aintree showpiece. But in 2010 he teamed up with Don’t Push It, owned by his number one backer – JP McManus. He had the 10-1 favourite in front at the last, storming up the long run in to claim the marathon by five lengths. “At least I can think that I’ve sort of done all right as a jockey now,” he said with typical modesty.
Wichita Lineman
Cheltenham, March 2009
Punters siding with the 5-1 favourite were heading for the bars to drown their losses throughout the William Hill Trophy as McCoy’s mount put in a display of sloppy jumping, clattering fence after fence to seemingly rule out any chance of winning. But no one told McCoy, who with strength, skill and guile somehow managed to get his foot-imperfect hero home by a nose in the shadow of the post for an epic success. “As much as people think I gave him a good ride that day at Cheltenham, he showed an enormous will to win and what he did was more about him than it was about me. He never got the credit he deserved,” McCoy told the Racing Post.
Pridwell
Aintree, April 1998
McCoy rates his victory on Martin Pipe’s charge in the Aintree Hurdle as one of his top 10 career rides – and with good reason. Up against one of the greatest hurdlers of all time, triple Champion Hurdle hero Istabraq, who was long odds on, Pridwell slogged through the mud to derail the long odds-on favourite by a head in a titanic tussle from the last. “I gave the best ride I’ve ever given, and ever will give,” McCoy said.
