Tony McCoy
Tony
McCoy is the most successful National Hunt jockey of all time, surpassing even the legendary Richard
Dunwoody in the all-time winners’ statistics.
The Grand National jockey hails from Northern Ireland and started his career in horseracing in England in 1994. In his first season of racing he rode an incredible 74 winners and narrowly missed out on winning the champion jockey title in 1995.
McCoy didn’t have to wait long to set matters right and wrest the champion jockey title from Richard Dunwoody. During the 1995/1996 season McCoy set a new record for wins in a season, riding 253 winners, and was rewarded with the Champion Jockey title for the season. He has not surrendered the title since, winning it 12 seasons in a row.
Records continued crashing as Tony McCoy, 2008 Grand National jockey, pressed home his dominance. In the course of the 2001/2002 season McCoy rode a total of 269 winners, beating Sir Gordon Richard’s record that had stood for over 50 years.
Over the next ten years Tony McCoy racked up not only an impressive series of wins but also a collection of the most prestigious titles in National Hunt racing. McCoy has won the Cheltenham Gold Cup, King George VI Chase, the Queen Mother Champion Hurdle and the Champion Hurdle, as well as two top jockey titles at the Cheltenham Festival.
McCoy’s army of fans attributes the great Grand National jockey’s success to his uncompromising riding style and determination to extract the ultimate effort from each horse he rides. His approach has sometimes created controversy, but the success of his methods is undisputed.
Tony McCoy’s success as a jockey is made all the more remarkable by the fact that he is unusually tall and heavy jockey. On many occasions McCoy was forced to fast in order to drop his weight to the required levels.
Despite dominating National Hunt racing for over a decade, Tony McCoy is yet to ride a Grand National winner at Aintree. He has finished placed on two occasions, but has never achieved better than a third.
As a rider nearing the end of his career Tony McCoy, 2008 Grand National jockey, will be looking to crown his racing achievements. If you want to place a bet on this event, we recommend William Hill for the best racehorse betting experience.
