AP McCoy, Ambassador for Cheltenham Racecourse's 2013-14 season
and the 18-time champion Jump jockey, writes his exclusive new monthly blog,
which can be found on www.cheltenham.co.uk/APMcCoy
The
next meeting at Cheltenham Racecourse is The Open, which takes place on Friday
15, Saturday 16 and Sunday 17 November.
McCoy
talks about the amazing five-timer at Carlisle yesterday, his hunt for 4,000
winners, the new book he has written, last weekend's racing at Cheltenham and
The Open meeting in three weeks' time.
AP
McCoy
"It
has been a great week for me as I near 4,000 winners and my tally was helped in
no small part by a five-timer at Carlisle yesterday (Thursday, October 24).
There are a busy couple of weeks to come with The Open meeting looming and my
book launch - but more on both of those a little later.
"There
has been plenty of talk in the press and on the likes of Twitter about me
riding 4,000 winners. It is something that was on my mind at the start of the
season and the more winners you ride the more you tend to think about it. I am
quite lucky though, that when I get to the races and enter the weighing room it
doesn't really enter my head. I have a job to do and I have to ride winners.
There are people who are employing me on that day whom I may not have ridden
for before, so whether I have ridden 4,000 winners or not is no good to them. I
have to concentrate on the job in hand but sometimes on the way home in the
evening I might think about it and the fact that I am getting closer.
"When
I rode 1,000 winners I definitely didn't think I would get to towards this
total. The same would be true after 2,000, but for some reason when I rode
3,000 I thought to myself that I could ride 4,000 winners - maybe when I got to
3,000 I was just starting to get the hang of it! I do like to set myself goals and
targets to chase as it keeps my mind right and gives me something to aim at. I
know some people don't like setting goals and targets in case they get
disappointed, but I get disappointed if I don't reach my goals and targets and
that keeps me motivated.
"I
am very proud of what I have achieved and I have never for a moment taken it
for granted. I have never thought I have a divine right to ride more winners
than anyone else and when I do ride 4,000 winners I won't wake up and think
'wow, I'm a great jockey' because it will already be in the past and you have
to keep looking ahead. I know how hard you have to work to get to this point.
There have been a lot of good days and a lot of bad days and you have a lot of
highs and lows. This is a pretty good sport at keeping you level headed so I
have never really thought I was any different from anyone else.
"The
five winners at Carlisle were enjoyable and it is something you would like to
happen every day but it often doesn't or it can't as you might only have a
couple of rides. I have been lucky that Jonjo's (O'Neill) horses are flying and
that JP (McManus) has plenty for me to ride and it is just about keeping the
moment going forward.
"I
also got 100 winners in a season for the 19th consecutive year with the wins at
Carlisle and that is something I am proud of. To ride 100 winners for 19 years
in a row is nice and I don't think too many people will have done it. I guess
the likes of Pat Eddery will have managed it and it is a nice achievement, but
I am always looking forward and treat it as the clock going back to zero and
starting again. My goal is now to ride 200 winners!
"Of
the Carlisle horses, I have to give a mention to Pendra as he is a nice type
and was second over hurdles in the Tolworth last year. Carlisle was a nice
chase track to start him off over fences and you'd have to be pleased with him.
We might now look at throwing him in deep at The Open meeting. The experience
would do him good and it is a possibility he will run at Cheltenham - we might
just dip our toe in to the water.
"Speaking
of Cheltenham, it was nice to be back there last weekend and I had a couple of
winners and a couple of seconds. Twirling Magnet won, which was nice but,
unfortunately, he is no longer a novice chaser now and he will have to step in
to handicap company, which will make it more difficult for him. I rode a nice
bumper horse of Rebecca Curtis's called Carningli and he could go back there
for The Open meeting.
"But
overall it was just good to be back at Cheltenham. I am not just saying this as
I am writing this blog but Cheltenham is different from all other jumps
racetracks. It is where everyone wants to win, whether it be the first meeting
of the season, the Paddy Power or the Festival. Cheltenham has a different
atmosphere and is a great theatre. You really notice that the better jumps
horses are coming out at the moment and then when Cheltenham start racing you
know that the jumps season is in full swing.
"The
Open meeting has been pretty successful to me and I have won the Paddy Power
four times - not for a while though so I had better pull my finger out! It is a
good meeting and a lot of friends of mine go there and enjoy it as not as
crowded as the Festival and has a good atmosphere as well. It is a meeting you
look forward to and is definitely special as the first big jumps meeting of the
season.
"Before
we get to The Open meeting, I have to mention that my book 'Taking The Fall'
comes out on November 7. I hope it will sell well and I have enjoyed doing it.
"It
has a good story but it is not the sort of book I would want my daughter
reading as it is a little bit racy. When I was asked about doing it, I wanted
to make it a little bit more interesting and make it more than just a racing
book, which people would associate with just skulduggery.
"I
was first asked to do the book about two years ago when Fifty Shades of Grey
had just come out and I said to my wife that every woman in the world was
reading that book so I decided to spice it up a little bit. There are a few
racy scenes in it, and I don't mean on horseback!
"It
is basically a revenge plot about a young jockey - who my wife says is nothing
like me as he is quite good looking and a bit of a boy! The boy's father was a
trainer just getting going but he got set up by a rival wealthy trainer, a very
wealthy owner and a very, very successful jockey. The boy's mission in life is
then to get these three people back and my wife is very happy as she thinks the
book will let people see that I do actually have an imagination and that it
will be good for my street-cred!
"I
wasn't sure about doing it when I was first asked but I had a few evenings out
with a few of my friends like Richard Hughes and Carl Llewellyn and got quite a
bit of ammunition from them and I have come to quite like books now.
"Also,
away from the saddle I should tell you about my new role with BBC Radio 5 Live.
I did a slot on Talk Sport last winter on a Friday morning and quite enjoyed it
and was then approached by the BBC to do a lot with them on a Friday evening.
Racing has been very good to me and a slot like this helps to advertise our
sport and give it a bit more good publicity.
"I
read somewhere that I was supposedly doing this with my retirement in mind! I
am not silly enough to think that I will ride for ever but this was something
that interested me and will not affect my riding at all as it is at 9pm on a
Friday night. It is not like I am taking two days a week off to go and sit in a
studio to talk on the radio and hopefully it will be good for the sport.
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