It’s hard to believe, but a decade has passed since Sir Anthony McCoy, better known as AP McCoy’s, brought down the curtain on his unapparelled career in National Hunt racing.
Widely regarded by fans and pundits alike as the greatest jumps jockey of all time, the Northern Irishman’s legacy is one of dominance, resilience, and an insatiable will to win on every ride.
His retirement in April 2015 marked the end of an era, but his record-breaking achievements continue to be celebrated in racing circles and beyond.
As we reflect on his illustrious career 10 years after hanging up the whip, here are some of his most iconic moments on the racecourse.
Grand National glory: Don’t Push It (2010)
Despite all of his achievements in the sport and mounting horses in 20 Grand National races, AP McCoy’s only won the Aintree showpiece once during his career.
It was feared he may never taste National glory as this was his 15th attempt at cracking the puzzle, but he broke his drought when partnering with the Jonjo O’Neill-trained Don’t Push It.
The sense of relief and emotion on AP McCoy’s face following the five-length success spoke volumes and it was a victory that truly cemented his legacy as a legend of jumps racing.
4,000th career winner: Mountain Tunes (2013)
Given that his Grand National triumph three years earlier came aboard an O’Neill-trained horse owned by JP McManus, it was fitting that McCoy’s landmark 4,000th career win was for the same connections.
Mountain Tunes was the short-price favourite for the two miles and five furlongs Novices’ Hurdle at Towcester but had to be ridden before the last, and stayed on well under pressure to just about hold off Knockanrawley by a neck.
AP McCoy’s had broken the previous record set by Richard Dunwoody (1,699) 11 years earlier and kept racking up the winners from there. He ended his career with an astonishing 4,358 victories, which will likely never be matched.
Second Gold Cup success: Synchronised (2012)
While McCoy won his first Gold Cup atop Mr Mulligan in 1997, just five years after his first victory in the saddle, he has previously stated that the win aboard Synchronised in 2012 is his proudest moment at the Cheltenham Festival.
The Northern Irish jockey had a deep connection with the horse, as his dam, Mayasta, was his first winner in the McManus colours at Punchestown in 1996, while the win at Cheltenham also delivered the iconic owner his first and only Gold Cup winner.
Also trained by O’Neill, Synchronised was driven to press the leaders at the last and took control at the start of the run-in up the hill—keeping on gamely for a two-and-a-quarter length win from The Giant Bolster.
20th successive Champion Jockey title (2015)
Consistency at the highest level is the hallmark of greatness, and McCoy embodied that with an astonishing 20 consecutive Champion Jockey titles.
From 1995/96 to 2014/15, no one could surpass his dominance in the saddle. He was relentless in his pursuit of winners, often pushing himself to the absolute limit to maintain his supremacy.
Although he could have extended his reign as Champion Jockey—his 231 winners in his final season are proof of that—AP McCoy’s chose to leave at the peak of his powers.
The racing world united at Sandown on the final day of the season in celebration of a career that had rewritten the record books and set standards that may never be matched.
