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There may of course be physical or personal issues that we’re not aware of and if so then fair enough. But going by what the man himself, his wife and his agent have said in public since yesterday, then this retirement decision is daft.
I mean giving up something that he’s still absolutely besotted with, for what reason?
He hasn’t given any, other than he wants to retire at the top.
But why won’t he be at the top for another four years? Is that drive, durability, resolve, passion, talent and work ethic simply going to evaporate at the ripe old age of 41….is it ****.
Is there some young pup in the weighing room, squaring up to him with a genuine threat to his greatness….not even over the horizon there isn’t. He’s ridden almost double the amount of winners of his nearest rival this season for jaysus sake.
Of course the injury threat is always there, but the odds of longterm debilitating injury are still heavily odds against, even more so when you can largely take your pick, and you have the racecraft that McCoy has.
Given the quality of his backup team and how well he looks after himself, the bloke can easily take a month off after the Whitbred, have his 200 winners by the end of February, then just ride the festivals and retire at 45 with his 5000 winners.
And retire at 45 years, content and satisfied, not in tears at a decision that has not been made with gut feeling and instinct (the only way to make sound personal decisions in my opinion) but with a head full of the inputs of others. But even retiring at 45, the others will have him for another 40 years God willing.
I cant picture McCoy happily sitting at home age 41 or 42, sane, fit as a flea, still driven, drinking cups of tea, watching Johnson take his title, knowing he could have the bloke on toast if he wanted to, honestly I cant.
Giving up something that your brilliant at, something that you love doing, something that gives you joy and happiness like no other and something that your capable of still doing at the highest level for the flimsiest of reasons (going by public statements) is absolutely daft imo.
You’ll be a long time dead Tony…..
I suspect his own high standards and his body have made the decision for him, Cav.
I don’t think he’s been as good these past couple of seasons. The number of long-term injuries that must nag at him day after day after day will take their toll in the end. Mental toughness and the decision to ‘disregard pain’ over a season or two is a power well beyond most humans. To do that for twenty years, as your cells are dying, and their repair work takes ever longer (much of that work done without the necessary calorific fuel, or without rest), well I can’t even imagine what it must be like.
With hindsight, November told a tale:
"I went to see my sports medicine specialist Julian Widdowson this morning as I am very sore having aggravated an old injury at Exeter on Tuesday. It has been decided it needs some time and it will probably be two weeks before I go back and see him."
The problems started for McCoy at Worcester on October 9 when tumbling from Keep Presenting in a maiden hurdle, after which he received oxygen but was able to walk back to the track’s medical room for treatment and later headed to hospital for x-rays.
He returned to action the following week, but was stood down at Wetherby with a suspected collarbone injury and subsequently took a few days off.
AP ended up being off for 3 weeks. I’d bet that not a minute of any day goes by without something hurting somewhere. I don’t doubt that the spirit is still there, and the will. But I suspect that, after years of him defying it, his body is taking its revenge.
I’ll be glad to see him slide the saddle safely off his last mount and walk into the changing room for the final time. A champion, still in one piece. Or at least a series of pieces held together by the fiercest ambition I’ve ever known, an ambition, sadly driven by a constant fear of failure.
I hope that, eventually, he finds contentment.
Marriage and particularly the arrival of children tends to alter one’s perspective on life, the universe and everything
His daughter, now about seven I think was born after IVF treatment and his son, now two or so underwent heart surgery
To be with his children and to watch them grow may well be reward enough after 25 years tunnel vision; and who could possibly question that noble calling
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/racing … ockey.html
He realises that it won’t take much of an injury next year to lay him low for long enough to stop him stockpiling the winners to prevent anyone from overtaking him later in the season. I know when I was younger I used to say that any one part of my body ached at any one time, which then became two parts and then three; dread to think how he feels when he gets up in the morning. I think it’s an incredibly brave decision he’s made, in which he’s going to have to draw on as much courage as he’s had riding winners for all of these years. Never a great McCoy fan, he’s gone up in my estimation more and more as the years have gone by, and I’ve never been as in awe of him as I am now.
Don’t know what steeplechasing has been watching these last 2 years if he thinks AP has deteriorated.
It’s little over 12 months since Mountain Tunes and there have been plenty of other instances since then.
His experience has kept him at the top of his game, look again today after 2 early setbacks and heavy fall, he bounced back in inspired fashion as usual.
He’s retiring at the right time for me and although giving 3 months notice isn’t ideal, he will cope and and it will bring some good publicity and interest to the sport.
Think he will also cope admirably without the riding after finishing on his own terms rather than it being forced on him.
The simple fact his announcement has been received with internet threads entitled "daft decision" as opposed to "overdue decision" some years hence show it is the RIGHT decision.
People of true quality go out at the top and that is exactly what this incredible guy is doing.
Maximum respect.
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It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"Given that we are talking of a jockey who has ridden 4,000 winners in his career as a jump jockey I think it fair to say we can trust his judgement on this matter.
Thought his ride on Ifandbutwhynot at Edinburgh the other day showed he’s still on top of his game. He more or less carried the horse up the straight.
I would say it’s the right time to retire.
As much as he loves the sport he has little to prove other than churning out numbers that nobody is going to beat in all probability.
It will take AP time to adapt but he’s in that lucky position where he can retire early compared to the average man in the street. He’ll need to find ways to fill his day differently but he’s got a family there and the secret of contentment is to make your family your focus and learn to enjoy the simple things that you have missed while you were being the greatest jockey of all time.
It’s not easy because guys who work in a dangerous job often live for the fear factor and when you are not getting that rush, life can seem mundane. Hopefully he’ll find somewhere else to channel his energy and thirst for excitement, whilst balancing it with a good family life.
Enjoy the free time champ and look after your family. Put the feet up and relax, you’ve earned it big time.
Thanks for the good crack. Time for me to move on. Be lucky.
I dont think McCoy is as good as he used to be. He is still just as strong in the finish but for me his timing has gone, timing at presenting a horse at a hurdle. He gets it wrong all too often.
JP McCmanus is a multi millionaire businessman, you dont become one of these by being weak or sentimental.
Its my opinion JP wanted rid of him and gave him the option to quit or be sacked.
To be sacked would be the ultimate humilation for the champ. This is why I believe he has retired.
I fully expect McCoy to have announced his comeback as a freelance within a year, he wont ride as much or travel as much and will have a few years riding the odd winner here and there.
This way everyone wins, JP gets a younger top jockey, McCoy saves face after not getting pushed and humiliated.
A month or 2 off and he can announce he misses the game and is coming back.
Just 3 months ago he was stating he would not retire anytime soon and he was like a cat with 9 lives and he has only used 2 of them.
3 months later he is retiring???
Read between the lines and put 2 and 2 together.
He is ultra-competitive, and doesn’t want to pack it in after slipping a few notches and having every pundit, journo and punter asking the question: is he slipping a few notches. It makes perfect sense to me. I salute the man.
I can’t believe for one second he was due to be sacked! He’s just ridden 200 winners, so he’s hardly slipping!
I’d imagine it’s mainly the fact that injuries are finally taking their toll, and any little injuries he sustains these days take longer to recover from. Also His kids are at an age when they want to have fun with their daddy, and the 5000 winners target is just too far away to realistically aim at.
Good decision I think, but I do wonder how he’s going to keep himself occupied.Given that we are talking of a jockey who has ridden 4,000 winners in his career as a jump jockey I think it fair to say we can trust his judgement on this matter.
I’m not sure we can always trust a sportsman’s judgement in such matters no matter what they’ve achieved, no better example than Muhammad Ali.
However think McCoy has got this spot on, maybe the equivalent of Ali retiring after his second win over Frazier as he should have.
Zoso I find your comments ref AP’s timing ludicrous. Just because he’s reached 41 somehow he’s lost the ability to assess a horses rhythm?
Something that increases with age is your ability to assess a situation and choose a superior course of action. Reaction time and physicality decrease with age, not timing.All in all I’d say he’s reached just about the right age to assess his own future without someone second guessing his motivation! JP’s operation fits incredibly well with AP’s modus operandi as a jockey and there’s not another jockey in the world that could service his team of horses remotely as well. AP’s retirement will leave a hole in Jonjo and JP’s organisations that will create some kind and of headache for them.
Wouldn’t the discussion of AP’s replacement make a more interesting thread?
How many NH jockeys have continued riding day-in day-out and more or less at the top of their game after the age of 40?
McCoy is an ‘old’ man and whilst he’s undoubtedly a one-off, has remained third-decade fit and would appear to be constructed of rubber-sprung steel even he, like the Land Rover Defender, couldn’t go on forever
It’s 2004/5: What odds will you lay me that 30 year old AP McCoy will be champion jockey with 200+ winners in 2014/15?
Remarkable, and we’ve had a bigger feast than any one of us could have expected
How many NH jockeys have continued riding day-in day-out and more or less at the top of their game after the age of 40?
McCoy is an ‘old’ man and whilst he’s undoubtedly a one-off, has remained third-decade fit and would appear to be constructed of rubber-sprung steel even he, like the Land Rover Defender, couldn’t go on forever
You’d wonder if AP McCoy was the only imminent retiree on show at Leopardstown yesterday. Paul Carberry turns 41 today and has had plenty of injury problems in recent years. His ride on Apache Stronghold was a thing of beauty.
You only need to look into AP’s eyes and see why he’s chosen now to call it a day,eyes that are far more sunken than a few years ago,eyes that have felt pain and by the looks of them still do,eyes that have experienced everything racing can through at him,the good the bad and the ugly and eyes that know if he wants to see his Beautiful wife and Kids grow old his time has come to slow down.AP knows for all the falls and injurys he’s sustained its only a matter of time before he comes a cropper big time,he also knows his battered body will probably give him grief forever more and thats a tall price to pay.For as much as I’d like him to do a ‘Frankie’ and just ride JP’s Good horses at the good meetings we all know you cant be a part-time Jockey.Horseracing is such a fickle sport and an incredibly unloyal one,Henry Cecil proved that.
Too many incredible memories to mention butAlbertas Run
winning his Ryanairs will never be forgotten.AP McCoy is a true legend.
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