I'm still a good bet says McCoy

14 April 2012

Swindon on a freezing night in February and the cream of British and Irish jump jockeys swap horses for horsepower in a go-kart challenge designed to generate publicity ahead of the Cheltenham Festival.

Tony McCoy corners like a demon to hold off Timmy Murphy in the final, but the banter is as fierce as the competition as one wag jokes that "it's the biggest race AP has won all season".

A wild exaggeration, of course, but when the Michael Schumacher of jump racing left Martin Pipe for Jonjo O'Neill he got out of a welloiled Ferrari and into an equally expensive machine which is currently spluttering along like a secondhand Reliant Robin.

Only McCoy knows how many noughts were on the cheque which owner JP McManus signed to lure him from Pond House to Jackdaws Castle last spring. It's a sure bet that the champion is set up for life as a result, but the pain of effectively handing Murphy the leg-up on a host of leading Cheltenham contenders must be acute.

Well Chief, Celestial Gold and Comply Or Die all learned their trade under McCoy's guidance. So did Contraband, Our Vic and Korelo, and McCoy is in typically candid mood as the days to his first post-Pipe Festival tick away.

"It's going to be tough, and it's hard to know what I'll be riding in a lot of the races, but something usually turns up," he said.

It's a measure of McCoy's refusal to let adversity hold him back that, despite the fact that O'Neill's horses have been off the radar since Christmas, the champion still holds a lead of almost 50 winners over Murphy in the title race.

"If I'm lucky enough to win the championship again a lot of it is down to Jonjo," he added. "I don't think even he knows how many he'll run next week, but it looks like I'll have a couple of nice rides for Paul Nicholls and hopefully Pipey will put me up on a few."

For all his achievements, Cheltenham has been something of a poisoned chalice for McCoy in recent years. His career total of 15 wins makes him the most successful Festival rider currently holding a licence, but bankers look thin on the ground next week.

"Baracouda's not getting any younger but he will be tough to beat in the World Hurdle," said McCoy. The improving Essex looks a live each-way hope for the Champion Hurdle, and he is surprised that bookmakers make him only fourth favourite behind Ruby Walsh, Barry Geraghty and Murphy to be top rider at the meeting.

"I'm not a betting man, but 7-1 is probably a decent price," he said.

In truth, it's probably a good job McCoy isn't a betting man given the strength of ammunition that his big rivals carry into the Festival. His go-karting victims will testify that the most driven jockey in history is the last man you want upsides you when things get tight.

But as Schumacher showed in Australia last weekend, even the greatest drivers struggle to shine when the transport doesn't match up to the man behind the wheel.

I'm still a good bet says McCoy

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