Guest eight Posted April 25, 2015 Share Posted April 25, 2015 I don't have any interest in horse racing at all, but I caught this interview with C4 racing by chance and thought it very poignant. "Like any sportsperson, I'm blessed to live my life doing something I love. "My advice to all the lads in the weighing room would be to enjoy every moment because it goes so quickly. "I found the people I worked with were very loyal and that's important in any walk of life. It's easier to be good at something if you like the people you're doing it with. "I'm going to be looking behind me for the first time in my life because the best things in my life are behind me now and that's going to be tough." Also saw that it is believed that he holds the record for the most extreme course of cryotherapy ever attempted - three minutes at -149C! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpewLabour Posted April 25, 2015 Share Posted April 25, 2015 I don't have any interest in horse racing at all, but I caught this interview with C4 racing by chance and thought it very poignant. "Like any sportsperson, I'm blessed to live my life doing something I love. "My advice to all the lads in the weighing room would be to enjoy every moment because it goes so quickly. "I found the people I worked with were very loyal and that's important in any walk of life. It's easier to be good at something if you like the people you're doing it with. "I'm going to be looking behind me for the first time in my life because the best things in my life are behind me now and that's going to be tough." Also saw that it is believed that he holds the record for the most extreme course of cryotherapy ever attempted - three minutes at -149C! Hmm... can't say I fully appreciate horse racing. Some small thin bloke sits on a horse and whips it, and then takes the credit when the horse wins. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stormymonday_2011 Posted April 25, 2015 Share Posted April 25, 2015 Genuinely great sportsman whose record is never going to be surpassed. Riding under National Hunt rules is a tough, tough game where any second you might found yourself dumped on the turf under half a ton of horse. In fact despite being possibly the greatest practitioner of his art he has had over a 1000 falls in competitive races during his career and broken many of the bones in his body. The fact he has stood it for so long and has been champion jockey so many times is little short of miraculous. He has been the top National Hunt winning jockey in 20 seasons. The next nearest rival is Peter Scudamore who was champion 7 times. I can not think of any other sportsman who has managed to dominate such a competitive sport year after year for so long. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
long time lurking Posted April 25, 2015 Share Posted April 25, 2015 Hmm... can't say I fully appreciate horse racing. Some small thin bloke sits on a horse and whips it, and then takes the credit when the horse wins. Only if it was that simple ,thats like saying give me Lewis Hamiltons car and i`ll beat him ..and a car has no mind of it`s own mind you it helps if you have the fastest car but there are no guarantees especially when you are a jump jockey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skrillex Posted April 26, 2015 Share Posted April 26, 2015 AP gave me my one and only Grand National win. Hat tip to you sir Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest eight Posted April 26, 2015 Share Posted April 26, 2015 Genuinely great sportsman whose record is never going to be surpassed. Riding under National Hunt rules is a tough, tough game where any second you might found yourself dumped on the turf under half a ton of horse. In fact despite being possibly the greatest practitioner of his art he has had over a 1000 falls in competitive races during his career and broken many of the bones in his body. The fact he has stood it for so long and has been champion jockey so many times is little short of miraculous. He has been the top National Hunt winning jockey in 20 seasons. The next nearest rival is Peter Scudamore who was champion 7 times. I can not think of any other sportsman who has managed to dominate such a competitive sport year after year for so long. BBC had this. Anyway, like I said I'm no great fan of horse racing either - it was more his words that struck me. How many people - let alone sports people - could say in the very moment that they've recognised that their life is all downhill from here? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gilf Posted April 27, 2015 Share Posted April 27, 2015 Hmm... can't say I fully appreciate horse racing. Some small thin bloke sits on a horse and whips it, and then takes the credit when the horse wins. I see what you are saying, but AP McCoy is on a totally different planet. If it was a the horse doing all the work then there would be a mix of people doing well in the sport but McCoy has blasted them all out of the water. He has won 20 straight Champion Jockey titles (most wins in a season for a jump jockey), in comparison in that time frame there have been 8 different winners in the flat season. He has the most wins in a single season 289 He was the fastest to 1,000 winners He has had 4,800 winners, the person in second place is Richard Johnson on 2,800 who himself is the only person other than McCoy to have ridden over 2,000 winners. In contrast to Johnson who has never had 200 winners in a season, McCoy has ridden 200+ winners in 9 seasons. Of course there is the fact that as he is so successful that he gets a choice of the top rides, but national hunt racing is a bit of a lottery in some regards, the best horse doesn't always win, there is a lot more going on than there is in flat racing. It certainly isn't like F1 racing in that regard which was mentioned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
londislagerhound Posted April 27, 2015 Share Posted April 27, 2015 Also important to note that he performed all over the country, even at little racecourses like my local one in Taunton. For just a few quid you could watch one of the greatest sportsmen to have ever lived do what he did. You could stand inches away from fences, watching the man in action, time and time again. Marvelous stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
londislagerhound Posted April 27, 2015 Share Posted April 27, 2015 Time and time again, McCoy got horses up to win that no other jockey could have. The "McCoy Drive" as it was referred to. To a non-racegoer it might seem that it's a case of the fastest horse winning regardless, but the skill required to position the horse correctly throughout the race and time your moves is immeasurable. McCoy got performances out of horses that had to be seen to be believed, and then sometimes you still didn't believe it when it happened. Just watch this from earlier in the year: No other jockey would have managed that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LiveinHope Posted April 27, 2015 Share Posted April 27, 2015 Time and time again, McCoy got horses up to win that no other jockey could have. The "McCoy Drive" as it was referred to. To a non-racegoer it might seem that it's a case of the fastest horse winning regardless, but the skill required to position the horse correctly throughout the race and time your moves is immeasurable. McCoy got performances out of horses that had to be seen to be believed, and then sometimes you still didn't believe it when it happened. Just watch this from earlier in the year: No other jockey would have managed that. At one with the animal and reading all the others. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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