McCoy rides into the history books as Mountain Tunes makes it 4000

Tony McCoy rode his 4000^th winner over jumps when forcing home Mountain Tunes, fittingly in the colours of JP McManus.  Earlier on the card he could finish only fifth on the well-backed 3-1 favourite Church Field but his moment of glory was only delayed by an hour.

For a while it looked as if the day would end in disappointment as Mountain Tunes, trained by Jonjo O’Neill, struggled to get to 7-1 shot Kris Spin. In his usual trademark style, McCoy would not be denied and forced his way up on the line to the delight of the crowd.

McCoy was greeted with three cheers from his adoring fans before being sprayed with champagne in the winner’s enclosure. In a reflective moment, the champion jockey dedicated this victory to the memory of the father of his agent Dave Roberts who passed away only yesterday.

Last week there had been speculation that McCoy was contemplating retirement once he had achieved the magical 4000 but there were no signs of the light fading here. O’Neill and McManus agreed that their jockey was riding better than ever and he already has more records in his sights.

McCoy had a hugely successful period as stable jockey to Martin Pipe and he would dearly love to pass his former trainer’s record of 4,182 winners (flat and jumps). Corals are offering only 5-4 that he passes that total within 12 months.

McCoy won his first race over jumps at Gowran Park in April 1994 aboard a horse called Riszard. His first success in Britain was on 7^th September that year on Chickabiddy at Exeter. He secured the first of his 18 championships in the 1995-96 season and has dominated the national hunt racing scene ever since.