Tony Mc Coy - Career

Career

McCoy rode his first winner of his career on the Jim Bolger trained 'Legal Steps', in a flat race at Thurles racecourse in Ireland, on 26 March 1992 at the age of 17. McCoy served as an apprentice at Jim Bolger's stable for the initial part of his career. Whilst riding work for Bolger one morning, McCoy suffered a nasty fall and broke his leg on the gallops. By the time McCoy recovered from his leg break, he had continue to grow taller and as a result it was decided that the best option was to become a jump jockey.

Success in Ireland soon led to a move across the Irish Sea, and he began riding in England in 1994. McCoy's first win in England came at Exeter on 7 September 1994 riding the Gordon Edwards trained Chickabiddy to a length victory. In his first season in England, McCoy served as a conditional jockey for successful trainer Toby Balding, which culminated in winning the Conditional Jump Jockeys Title in 1995. The following season he became champion jockey for the first time.

McCoy had burst on the seen as a result of his first season riding in Britain and soon attracted the attention of leading trainer Martin Pipe and, then, upcoming (and now current Champion Trainer) Paul Nicholls. McCoy joined forces with powerful trainer Martin Pipe in 1997 and between them they proved to be an exceptionally strong partnership which dominated the sport.

By the end of the decade McCoy had set a new National Hunt record for winners in a season (253), equaled the record of five winners at the 1998 Cheltenham Festival, and became the fastest jockey to reach the 100 winner mark in a season in 2001. McCoy went on to beat the long standing record of legendary jockey Sir Gordon Richards' for the total number of winners ridden in a season, which has stood since 1947. McCoy puts this as his biggest achievement, despite his multiple Champion Jockey titles and big race victories. McCoy beat Richards' record of 269 winners in a season on 'Valfonic' at Warwick on 2 April 2002. 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 jockey of all time.

McCoy became the first jump jockey to ride 2,500 winners when getting 'Kanpai' up to score at Huntingdon on 3 October 2006,. McCoy rode his 3000th winner at Plumpton on the Nicky Henderson trained 'Restless D'Artaix' in the Tyser & Co Beginners’ Chase on 9 February 2009. McCoy has gone on to ride over 3500 winners and has openly stated his wish to ride 4,000 winners before he retires.

In spite of wins in the biggest races on the jumps racing calender, including the Cheltenham Gold Cup, Champion Hurdle, Queen Mother Champion Chase and King George VI Chase, the Grand National was one race which had eluded McCoy, yet desperate to win. The nearest McCoy had previously come in the National were three third-place finishes, in 2001, 2002 aboard Martin Pipe's Blowing Wind, and in 2006 on Jonjo O'Neill's 5-1 joint favourite, Clan Royal, who was still traveling well when hampered by a loose horse cost any chance of victory.

McCoy finally won the Grand National at the fifteenth attempt, on 10 April 2010 aboard Don't Push It, trained by Jonjo O'Neill and owned by J. P. McManus.

In 2012, McCoy won his second Cheltenham Gold Cup on the Jonjo O'Neill trained, JP McManus owned Synchronised, 15 years after his first Gold Cup win on Mr Mulligan.

During the 2012 Grand National, McCoy's mount Synchronised fell at Becher's Brook, the sixth fence on the first circuit. The horse suffered a soft-tissue injury, but did not appear to have sustained serious injury. However, Synchronised continued running riderless until attempting to jump the 11th fence where he fell and incurred a fracture of the tibia and fibula in his right-hind leg. Sadly, racecourse vets had to euthanise him.