The Cheltenham Festival does not get under way until 17:30 (UAE time) today, yet British jump racing’s biggest event has already been dominated by one name.
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AP McCoy is set to make his final appearance at the four-day meeting, and since announcing his impending retirement from the sport early last month, anticipation has steadily gathered pace.
McCoy saddles Jollyallan in the Festival opener, the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, and will be hoping to kick-off his farewell with a 31st winner at the famous meeting. Such success would barely have seemed possible when he rode his first winner at Cheltenham, in the Grand Annual Chase, back in 1996.
It is fitting therefore that Friday’s final race, in which he was victorious on a further two occasions, will bear his name this year.
“The last race of the festival, the Grand Annual, will be named after AP this year, which will be really nice because it rounds off his festival really well and I know that he’s really honoured to be part of that,” communications manager Sophia Brudenell says of the rather wordily retitled AP McCoy Grand Annual Handicap Chase for the Johnny Henderson Challenge Cup.
In the 19 years since he saddled his first winner at Cheltenham, McCoy has only finished the Festival empty-handed once, in 2005. However, while he has won three Champion Hurdles, two Gold Cups and one Champion Chase, the 40-year-old has only finished the meeting as leading jockey twice, in 1997 and 1998.
But in truth those statistics only tell part of the story of McCoy’s remarkable 23-year professional career, in which he has become the undisputed king of jump racing.
On AP McCoy tells @bbc5live his top 3 horses ridden are 1 Synchronised (G/Cup) 2 Don’t Push it (G/National) 3 Best Mate (King George)
— Cornelius Lysaght (@CorneliusRacing) March 5, 2015
“The fact is he’s the absolute flagbearer for our sport and he’s done such a great job, not just through his riding but through the kind of ambassadorial stuff he does,” Racing Post editor, Bruce Millington, says.
“He’s just an absolute hero to a lot of people, and it’s fitting that the last race he rides in at Cheltenham will be named after him. I think it’s a really lovely touch and there won’t be too many people leaving the course early.”
Millington believes Friday could prove to be an especially emotional affair. He added: “We haven’t really got to that stage yet where you’re gulping and thinking ‘we’re never going to see this again’. But at Cheltenham that absolutely is the case.
“You’re not going to see him again there and if he can win the Gold Cup on Friday on Carlingford Lough it would just be absolutely incredible.”
Elsewhere, Ruby Walsh is looking to finish the Festival as leading jockey for a third time in a row, and ninth in all, as he attempts to beat his own record of seven winners.
And all eyes will be trained on Friday’s Gold Cup as Silviniaco Conti, ridden by Noel Fehily, and aiming to hand trainer Paul Nicholls a record-equalling fifth winner in the showpiece race, looks to ruin McCoy’s goodbye to the festival.
