Tony McCoy facts for kids
Quick facts for kids SirTony McCoy OBE |
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McCoy in 2014
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| Full name | Sir Anthony Peter McCoy |
| Occupation | Jockey (retired) |
| Born | 4 May 1974 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 | |
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Sir Anthony Peter McCoy, often called 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 or hurdles. Based in both Ireland and Britain, McCoy achieved an amazing record of 4,358 wins. He was also named the Champion Jockey for 20 years in a row, every single year he rode professionally.
McCoy won his first race in 1992 when he was just 17 years old. On November 7, 2013, he reached a huge milestone by riding his 4,000th winner. In his first season riding in Britain, he won the Conditional Jump Jockeys Title with 74 wins. McCoy became Champion Jockey for the first time in 1995/96 and held that title until he retired in 2015.
He won almost all the big horse races 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. In 2010, he became the first jockey to win the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award. He was also named RTÉ Sports Person of the Year in 2013. McCoy received a special honour, becoming a "Sir," in January 2016.
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A Jockey's Amazing Career
AP McCoy started his racing journey on March 26, 1992. He won his very first race on a horse named Legal Steps at Thurles racecourse in Ireland. He was only 17. McCoy first worked as an apprentice for trainer Jim Bolger. After breaking his leg in a fall and growing taller, he decided to become a jump jockey, which involves riding horses over obstacles.
His success in Ireland led him to move to England in 1994. His first win there was on September 7, 1994, at Exeter Racecourse. In his first season in England, he won the Conditional Jump Jockeys Title in 1995. The next year, he became the Champion Jockey for the first time.
McCoy quickly became well-known. He teamed up with famous trainer Martin Pipe in 1997. Together, they were a very strong team and dominated the sport.
Breaking Records and Milestones
By the end of the 1990s, McCoy had set a new record for the most winners in a National Hunt season, with 253 wins. He also matched the record of five winners at the 1998 Cheltenham Festival. In 2001, he became the fastest jockey to reach 100 wins in a season.
He went on to break a long-standing record set by Gordon Richards in 1947 for the total number of winners in a season. McCoy often said this was his biggest achievement. He broke Richards' record of 269 winners on April 2, 2002, at Warwick. He then set a new high of 289 winners.
On August 27, 2002, at Uttoxeter, he rode Mighty Montefalco to victory, becoming the leading jumps jockey of all time. He was the first jump jockey to ride 2,500 winners on October 3, 2006, at Huntingdon. McCoy reached his 3,000th win on February 9, 2009, at Plumpton.
Winning the Grand National
Even with many big wins, the Grand National race had always escaped McCoy. He had finished third three times. But on April 10, 2010, on his 15th try, McCoy finally won the Grand National. He rode a horse called Don't Push It, trained by Jonjo O'Neill.
More Big Wins
In 2012, McCoy won his second Cheltenham Gold Cup on a horse named Synchronised. This was 15 years after his first Gold Cup win. Synchronised seemed to be struggling early in the race, but McCoy pushed him on. The horse then powered up the famous Cheltenham hill to win.
Sadly, during the 2012 Grand National, Synchronised fell at a fence called Becher's Brook. The horse was badly injured and had to be put down.
Reaching 4,000 Wins
McCoy had a delayed start to the 2013/2014 season after breaking his ribs in a fall. But he quickly returned to racing. He rode five winners at Carlisle in October, and five more at Aintree.
On November 7, 2013, McCoy achieved his 4,000th career win. He rode Mountain Tunes to a hard-fought victory at Towcester. Mountain Tunes looked like it had no chance with two hurdles left, but McCoy managed to win in the very last moments.
By the end of the 2013/14 season, McCoy was crowned Champion Jockey for the 19th time in a row, extending his amazing record.
Final Seasons and Retirement
On June 10, 2014, McCoy reached 50 winners for the season faster than ever before, in just 44 days. On July 19, 2014, he passed another milestone, riding more winners than his friend and mentor, trainer Martin Pipe, had in his career.
McCoy broke his own record for the fastest 100 winners in a season on August 21, 2014, reaching the mark in just 116 days.
McCoy announced his retirement live on TV in February 2015. He said he would stop riding at the end of the 2014/15 season. His last professional race was at Sandown in April 2015.
Working with Trainers and Owners
For many years, McCoy was the main jockey for Irish racehorse owner J. P. McManus. This meant he rode all of McManus's horses in Britain and sometimes in Ireland. McCoy joined McManus in 2004. Before that, he had been the main jockey for trainer Martin Pipe for seven years. Many people in racing were surprised when he left Pipe's successful stable.
McManus has most of his horses trained by former jockey Jonjo O'Neill. O'Neill trains at a special facility called "Jackdaws Castle," which McManus owns. 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 like Rebecca Curtis and Nicky Henderson. McCoy was most often seen wearing McManus's green and gold racing silks.
Sports Personality of the Year Awards
In 2010, McCoy was named BBC Sports Personality of the Year. He was the first jockey ever to win this award. He won after his Grand National victory that year. People thought his Grand National win was the main reason he won the award.
There were some worries that people who didn't follow horse racing closely might not understand how amazing his achievements were. But McCoy received a huge number of votes, more than many past winners.
He was also a finalist for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 2013, after reaching 4,000 career wins. He finished third that year. In December 2013, he was named RTÉ Irish Sports Personality of the Year.
About AP McCoy's Life
McCoy was born in Moneyglass, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. He is married to Chanelle, Lady McCoy, and they have two children. He is about 1.78 meters (5 feet 10 inches) tall. To ride at low racing weights, he had to keep his weight around 63.5 kg (10 stone), even though his natural weight was closer to 75 kg.
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 former Arsenal player Ray Parlour, and even helped name a racehorse "The Romford Pele" after Parlour's nickname.
After retiring as a jockey, McCoy joined BBC Radio 5 Live as a racing expert in 2013. In 2015, he also became a pundit for Channel 4 Racing. In 2017, his wife, Chanelle McCoy, became a new investor on the TV show "Dragons' Den" in Ireland.
Awards and Honours
McCoy has won many awards throughout his career:
- Champion Jockey: 20 times, from 1995/96 to 2014/2015.
- Champion Conditional Jockey: 1994/95.
He has also received 20 Lester Awards, which are voted for by jockeys. This is 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
- Jockey of the Year: 1997
- Jump Ride of the Year: 2009 (for Wichita Lineman at Cheltenham), 2012 (for Synchronised in the Cheltenham Gold Cup)
McCoy was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2003 and an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2010 for his contributions to horse racing.
In December 2010, he was named Sportsman of the Year at the British Sports Awards. He also won the 'Jump off the Sofa Moment' Award in 2010 for his Grand National win.
In December 2013, McCoy was officially recognized by Guinness World Records for:
- Most jump wins in a season (289 in 2001/2002).
- Most Champion Jump Jockey titles (18 at that time).
- Most career jump winners (4,022 as of December 4, 2013).
Knighthood
In the 2016 New Year Honours, AP McCoy was made a knight for his services to horse racing. This means he can be called "Sir."
Major Race Wins
AP McCoy won many important races during his career. Here are some of the biggest ones:
Cheltenham Festival Wins (31)
- Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle (3): 2006, 2007, 2013
- Arkle Challenge Trophy (3): 1997, 1998, 2004
- Champion Hurdle (3): 1997, 2006, 2010
- Cheltenham Gold Cup (2): 1997, 2012
- Queen Mother Champion Chase (1): 2000
- RSA Chase (1): 2008
- Ryanair Chase (3): 2010, 2011, 2015
Major National Races
- Grand National (1): 2010
- Irish Grand National (1): 2007
- Midlands Grand National (1): 2010
- Scottish Grand National (1): 1997
- Welsh National (1): 2010
Other Important Races
- Aintree Hurdle (2): 1998, 2015
- King George VI Chase (1): 2002
- Lexus Chase (2): 2008, 2011
- Tingle Creek Chase (1): 2008
Images for kids
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McCoy in 2014
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McCoy on Refinement in 2006
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Tony McCoy on Straw Bear, winner of the 2006 Fighting Fifth Hurdle
