Tony McCoy facts for kids

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Quick facts for kids Sir Tony McCoy OBE
McCoy in 2014
Full name	Sir Anthony Peter McCoy
Occupation	Jockey (retired)
Born	(1974-05-04) 4 May 1974 (age 51) Moneyglass, County Antrim, Northern Ireland
Spouse	Chanelle, Lady McCoy
Children	2
Career wins	4,348 GB & IRE Jumps winners. 10 Flat race wins.
Major racing wins
Grand National, Scottish Grand National, Cheltenham Gold Cup, Queen Mother Champion Chase, Champion Hurdle, King George VI Chase, Ryanair Chase, RSA Chase, Fighting Fifth Hurdle, Tingle Creek, Arkle Challenge Trophy, Welsh Grand National, Midlands Grand National, Irish Grand National, Lexus Chase, Galway Plate
Honours
Knight Bachelor Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire BBC Sports Personality of the Year (2010) RTÉ Sports Person of the Year (2013) BBC Sports Personality of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award (2015)

Sir Anthony Peter McCoy (born 4 May 1974), known as AP McCoy or Tony McCoy, is a famous retired horse racing jockey from Northern Ireland. He rode in "National Hunt" races, which involve horses jumping over fences and hurdles.

McCoy holds an amazing record of 4,358 wins. He was also named the "Champion Jockey" a record 20 times in a row. This means he was the best jockey every single year he raced professionally.

He won his first race in 1992 when he was just 17 years old. On 7 November 2013, he achieved his 4,000th win. This happened when he rode a horse called Mountain Tunes to victory.

Even in his first year racing in Britain, McCoy showed how talented he was. He won the Conditional Jump Jockeys Title with 74 winners. This was a record for a young jockey. McCoy became Champion Jockey for the first time in 1995/96. He kept this title every year until he retired in 2015.

McCoy won almost every big horse race in Britain and Ireland. Some of his most famous wins include the Cheltenham Gold Cup, Champion Hurdle, Queen Mother Champion Chase, King George VI Chase, and the 2010 Grand National. He won the Grand National on a horse named Don't Push It.

In 2010, he was named BBC Sports Personality of the Year. He was the first jockey ever to win this award. In 2013, he also won the RTÉ Sports Person of the Year award in Ireland. He was given the special title of "Sir" in January 2016.

His Racing Journey
Working with Trainers
BBC Sports Personality of the Year
His Life Outside Racing
Achievements and Awards
Major Race Wins
See also

His Racing Journey

McCoy on Refinement in 2006

Tony McCoy started his racing career in Ireland. He won his very first race on 26 March 1992. He was 17 years old and rode a horse called Legal Steps in a flat race.

Early in his career, McCoy worked as a young rider for trainer Jim Bolger. One day, he had a bad fall and broke his leg. After he recovered, he had grown taller. So, he decided to become a jump jockey instead of a flat race jockey.

He moved to England in 1994. His first win there was on 7 September 1994 at Exeter Racecourse. In his first season in England, he was a "conditional jockey" for trainer Toby Balding. He won the Conditional Jump Jockeys Title in 1995. The next year, he became the Champion Jockey for the first time.

McCoy quickly became very well-known. He started working with top trainers like Martin Pipe and Paul Nicholls. In 1997, he teamed up with Martin Pipe. Together, they became a very strong team and were very successful in the sport.

By the end of the 1990s, McCoy had set a new record. He had 253 winners in one National Hunt season. He also equaled a record by winning five races at the 1998 Cheltenham Festival. In 2001, he became the fastest jockey to reach 100 wins in a season.

He then broke a very old record set by Gordon Richards in 1947. This was for the total number of winners in a season. McCoy often said this was his biggest achievement. He beat Richards' record of 269 winners on 2 April 2002. He ended that season with 289 winners.

On 27 August 2002, McCoy became the leading jump jockey of all time. He passed Richard Dunwoody's record. He reached 2,500 wins on 3 October 2006. On 9 February 2009, he rode his 3,000th winner.

Even with all his wins, the Grand National race was one he hadn't won. He had finished third three times. But on 10 April 2010, he finally won it! He rode Don't Push It, a horse trained by Jonjo O'Neill.

In 2012, McCoy won his second Cheltenham Gold Cup on Synchronised. This was 15 years after his first Gold Cup win. Synchronised seemed to be struggling at first. But McCoy pushed the horse to finish strongly and win the race.

McCoy had a delayed start to the 2013/2014 season. He broke his ribs in a fall. After recovering, he quickly started winning again. He reached 100 wins for the season in October. He even rode five winners in one day at Carlisle Racecourse.

On 7 November 2013, McCoy reached a huge milestone. He rode his 4,000th career winner on Mountain Tunes. This was at Towcester Racecourse. It was a very close race, but McCoy managed to win in the last few strides.

He continued to break records. On 10 June 2014, he reached 50 winners for the season faster than ever before. On 19 July 2014, he passed the total number of winners that his friend and mentor Martin Pipe had as a trainer.

McCoy announced his retirement live on TV in February 2015. He said he would stop racing at the end of the 2014/15 season. His last race as a professional jockey was in April 2015.

Working with Trainers

Tony McCoy on Straw Bear, winner of the 2006 Fighting Fifth Hurdle

Tony McCoy was the main jockey for Irish racehorse owner J. P. McManus. This meant he rode most of McManus's horses in Britain and sometimes in Ireland. McCoy started working with McManus in 2004.

Before that, McCoy had been the main jockey for Martin Pipe for seven years. Many people were surprised when he left Pipe's stable. But he went on to win 10 more Champion Jockey titles with McManus.

Many of McManus's horses are trained by former jockey Jonjo O'Neill. O'Neill trains at a special facility called "Jackdaws Castle." McCoy often rode horses trained by Jonjo O'Neill, as well as those owned by McManus.

When he wasn't needed for McManus or O'Neill, McCoy also rode for other top trainers. He was often seen wearing the green and gold racing silks (jockey's colours) of J. P. McManus.

BBC Sports Personality of the Year

In 2010, Tony McCoy won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award. He was the first jockey to ever win it. He won ahead of darts player Phil Taylor and athlete Jessica Ennis.

His big win in the 2010 Grand National was a major reason for him winning the award. Many people thought that horse racing wasn't as popular as other sports. But McCoy received a huge number of votes, showing how much he was admired.

He was also on the shortlist for the award in 2013. This was after he reached 4,000 career wins. He finished third that year. He also won the RTÉ Sports Person of the Year award in Ireland in December 2013.

His Life Outside Racing

Tony McCoy was born in Moneyglass, Northern Ireland. He is married to Chanelle and they have two children. He is 1.78 meters (5 feet 10 inches) tall. He had to keep his weight low for racing, around 63.5 kg (10 stone). His natural weight was about 75 kg (11.8 stone).

McCoy has written several books about his life and racing career. A film about his final season, called Being AP, was released in 2015.

He is a big fan of the Arsenal football team. He is friends with some famous footballers, like Ray Parlour.

After he retired from racing, McCoy became a racing expert. He joined BBC Radio 5 Live as a pundit in 2013. In 2015, he also joined Channel 4 Racing to share his knowledge.

Achievements and Awards

Champion Jockey: He won this title 20 times in a row, from 1995/96 to 2014/2015.
Champion Conditional Jockey: 1994/95

Lester Awards

McCoy has won 20 Lester Awards, which are like "Oscars" for jockeys. He has won more than any other jockey.

Conditional Jockey of the Year: 1995
Jump Jockey of the Year: 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012
Jump Ride of the Year: 2009, 2012 (for his amazing rides on Wichita Lineman and Synchronised)

Special Honours

He was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2003.
He was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2010 for his services to horse racing.
In December 2013, McCoy received three Guinness World Records certificates. These were for:
- 289 jump wins in the 2001/2002 season (a record).
- Most Champion Jump Jockey titles (18 at that time).
- Most career jump winners (4,022 at that time).

Knighthood

Tony McCoy was given the title of Sir in 2016. This was for his great contributions to horse racing.

Major Race Wins

Cheltenham Festival (31)

Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle (3): Black Jack Ketchum (2006), Wichita Lineman (2007), At Fishers Cross (2013)
Arkle Challenge Trophy (3): Or Royal (1997), Champleve (1998), Well Chief (2004)
Byrne Group Plate (1): Majadou (1999)
Cathcart Challenge Cup (2): Cyfor Malta (1998), Royal Auclair (2002)
Champion Bumper (1): Liberman (2003)
Champion Hurdle (3): Make A Stand (1997), Brave Inca (2006), Binocular (2010)
Cheltenham Gold Cup (2): Mr Mulligan (1997), Synchronised (2012)
County Hurdle (2): Blowing Wind (1998), Alderwood (2012)
Festival Trophy Handicap Chase (1): Wichita Lineman (2009)
JLT Novices' Chase (2): Noble Prince (2011), Taquin Du Seuil (2014)
Jewson Novices' Handicap Chase (1): Reveillez (2006)
Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Chase (3): Kibreet (1996), Edredon Bleu (1998), Alderwood (2013)
Pertemps Final (1): Unsinkable Boxer (1998)
Queen Mother Champion Chase (1): Edredon Bleu (2000)
RSA Chase (1): Albertas Run (2008)
Ryanair Chase (3): Albertas Run (2010, 2011), Uxizandre (2015)
Supreme Novices' Hurdle (1): Hors La Loi III (1999)

Major National Races

Grand National (1): Don't Push It (2010)
Irish Grand National (1): Butler's Cabin (2007)
Midlands Grand National (1): Synchronised (2010)
Scottish Grand National (1): Belmont King (1997)
Welsh National (1): Synchronised (2010)

Other Important Races Great Britain

Aintree Hurdle (2): Pridwell (1998), Jezki (2015)
Anniversary 4-Y-O Novices' Hurdle (3): Zabadi (1996), Hors La Loi III (1999), Binocular (2008)
Ascot Chase (2): Tresor de Mai (2002), Tiutchev (2003)
Bet365 Gold Cup (2): Bounce Back (2002), Hennessy (2009)
Betfred Bowl (2): Tiutchev (2004), Exotic Dancer (2007)
Celebration Chase (3): Edredon Bleu (2001), Seebald (2003), French Opera (2011)
Challow Novices' Hurdle (6): Classified (2001), Coolnagorna (2002), Wichita Lineman (2006), Backspin (2010), Taquin Du Seuil (2012), Captain Cutter (2013)
Champion Four Year Old Hurdle (1): Shaunies Lady (1996)
Christmas Hurdle (5): Straw Bear (2006), Binocular (2010, 2011), Darlan (2012), My Tent Or Yours (2013)
Feltham Novices' Chase (3): Gloria Victis (1999), Maximize (2001), Darkness (2005)
Fighting Fifth Hurdle (2): Straw Bear (2006), My Tent Or Yours (2013)
Finale Juvenile Hurdle (2): Rainwatch (1997), Phar Bleu (2004)
Henry VIII Novices' Chase (3): Direct Route (1997), Dines (1998), Somersby (2009)
International Hurdle (2): Valiramix (2001), Binocular (2008)
King George VI Chase (1): Best Mate (2002)
Lexus Chase (2): Exotic Dancer (2008), Synchronised (2011)
Liverpool Hurdle (2): Galant Moss (1999), Deano's Beeno (2003)
Long Walk Hurdle (3): Deano's Beeno (2002), Big Buck's (2010, 2011)
Maghull Novices' Chase (2): Well Chief (2004), Foreman (2006)
Manifesto Novices' Chase (1): Uxizandre (2014)
Melling Chase (3): Viking Flagship (1996), Albertas Run (2010), Don Cossack (2015)
Mersey Novices' Hurdle (2): Classified (2002), Lac Fontana (2014)
Mildmay Novices' Chase (3): Boss Doyle (1998), Like-a-Butterfly (2005), Holywell (2014)
Paddy Power Gold Cup (4): Cyfor Malta (1998), Lady Cricket (2000), Shooting Light (2001), Exotic Dancer (2007)
Scilly Isles Novices' Chase (3): Upgrade (2000), Tarxien (2003), Napolitain (2006)
Sefton Novices' Hurdle (3): Unsinkable Boxer (1998), Black Jack Ketchum (2006), At Fishers Cross (2013)
Tingle Creek Chase (1): Master Minded (2008)
Tolworth Hurdle (2): Iznogoud (2001), Royal Boy (2014)
Victor Chandler Chase (2): Nordance Prince (2000), Master Minded (2011)

Ireland

December Festival Hurdle (1): Brave Inca (2005)
Evening Herald Champion Novice Hurdle (4): His Song (1998), Jered (2008), Shot From The Hip (2011), Alderwood (2012)
Fort Leney Novice Chase (2): Boss Doyle (1997), Carlingford Lough (2013)
Galway Hurdle (2): Toast the Spreece (1997), Thomas Edison (2014)
Galway Plate (2): Finger Onthe Pulse (2010), Carlingford Lough (2013)
Golden Cygnet Novice Hurdle (2): Monifeth Man (2000), Washington Lad (2005)
Growise Champion Novice Chase (2): Kempes (2010), Carlingford Lough (2014)
Hatton's Grace Hurdle (2): Brave Inca (2006), Jezki (2013)
Hennessy Gold Cup (Ireland) (1): Carlingford Lough (2015)
Irish Champion Hurdle (1): Brave Inca (2006)
Morgiana Hurdle (1): Brave Inca (2005)
Powers Gold Cup (3): Like-a-Butterfly (2005), Justified (2006), Gilgamboa (2015)
Punchestown Champion Hurdle (2): Brave Inca (2005), Jezki (2014)
Ryanair Novice Chase (1): Captain Cee Bee (2010)
World Series Hurdle (2): Derrymoyle (1998), Refinement (2007)
Champion Four Year Old Hurdle (1) : Shaunies Lady (1996)

Winning Milestones

1,000th winner: Majadou, Cheltenham, 11 December 1999
1,500th winner: Celtic Native, Exeter, 20 December 2001
2,000th winner: Magical Bailiwick, Wincanton, 17 January 2004
2,500th winner: Kanpai, Huntingdon, 3 October 2006
3,000th winner: Restless D'Artaix, Plumpton, 9 February 2009
4,000th winner: Mountain Tunes, Towcester, 7 November 2013

Total National Hunt Wins in Britain by Season

1994/95 74
1995/96 175
1996/97 190
1997/98 253
1998/99 186
1999/00 245
2000/01 191
2001/02 289 †
2002/03 258
2003/04 209
2004/05 200
2005/06 178
2006/07 184
2007/08 140
2008/09 186
2009/10 195
2010/11 218
2011/12 199
2012/13 185
2013/14 218
2014/15 231

† This is a British Horse Racing record for the most winners ridden in a season by any jockey (flat or jumps). It beat Sir Gordon Richards' old record of 269 winners from 1947.

Total National Hunt Wins in Ireland by Season (144)

1993-94 3
1994-95 4
1995-96 7
1996-97 2
1997-98 8
1998-99 4
1999-00 7
2000-01 0
2001-02 1
2002-03 0
2003-04 0
2004-05 13
2005-06 22
2006-07 7
2007-08 8
2008-09 5
2009-10 6
2010-11 6
2011-12 12
2012-13 8
2013-14 11
2014-15 10