Fairytale FINISH
Britain’s bet £30m on racing’s greatest jockey winning his final National. McCoy’s dreaming of a....
AP McCOY has urged the nation to follow his Aintree dream as he chases the fairytale end to his extraordinary career.
Retirement beckons for McCoy, champion jockey every year since he first won the title in 1997, and he will stop riding immediately if his mount Shutthefrontdoor wins the £1million Crabbie’s Grand National. Shutthefrontdoor, trained by Jonjo O’Neill, will be the subject of an avalanche of emotional support and many once-a-year punters will pin their hopes on McCoy delivering a result like he did in 2010 when he won this famous race on Don’t Push It. In a perfect world, the National will finish with McCoy standing high in his irons celebrating but he, more than anyone, knows nothing is guaranteed in a sport as unpredictable as jump racing. It won’t, however, stop the 40- year- old hoping his script has a glorious finale.
‘I’m a dreamer,’ said McCoy, who announced his plans to retire in February.
‘I’m a believer – I always have been. If everyone has gone to bed thinking the dream will
happen, I can promise you nobody has been dreaming more than me. In some ways, I regret making the announcement to retire when I did. I’ve thought to myself I should have just kept quiet. But in other ways I think it has been good. ‘If it’s created publicity for racing and helped get interest in the sport, so much the better. ‘Racing has been good to me and if this has been me giving something back, great. If people are putting money on Shutthefrontdoor in the hope I win for the fairytale, let me assure them nobody will be wanting me to win more than I do. People talk about me having ridden more winners than anyone else but I’ve also ridden more losers than anyone else. ‘I’ve had 19 goes at this race and won once, so that gives you an idea of what it is going to be like.’ The last time a horse carried such goodwill was when Frankel, trained by the late Sir Henry Cecil, won the Champions Stakes at Ascot in October 2012. Mention of that brought a wry smile from McCoy. ‘I wish it was as straightforward as running around a couple of bends at Ascot!’ he said. ‘I’ve got 30 fences and 38 other horses in my way! But, listen, I’m a positive person and that is never going to change. Let’s hope the dream can happen.’