Tag Archive for: AP McCoy

McCoy thrilled to see McManus win the Gold Cup again

Sir Anthony McCoy knows the feeling of returning victorious after the Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup and cut a delighted figure as he soaked in another magical moment for his former boss JP McManus at the Cheltenham Festival.

McCoy won the blue riband for McManus and Jonjo O’Neill aboard Synchronised in 2012, and 13 years on he took a moment’s pause from his role as a TV pundit to cheer in a second Gold Cup hero for the Festival’s leading owner, as Inothewayurthinkin denied the history-chasing Galopin Des Champs in a thrilling renewal of the premier staying event.

It will be a victory made all the sweeter by the fact Gavin Cromwell’s seven-year-old – also now the red-hot favourite for the Randox Grand National – was bred by McManus’ wife Noreen and reared to perfection at Martinstown to reach what McCoy describes as “the pinnacle” of jumps racing.

Sir Anthony McCoy celebrates on Synchronised
Sir Anthony McCoy celebrates on Synchronised (David Davies/PA)

McCoy said: “It’s brilliant for JP to win another Gold Cup and to have bred him at home and have him as a foal right up to the Cheltenham Gold Cup, nothing will make him happier.

“This is the pinnacle and you can win Grand Nationals, they are great, but this is the Gold Cup and the best horse wins the Gold Cup and his wife bred him and I would say he will be very happy.”

It was a victory that capped a brilliant Cheltenham Festival for Inothewayurthinkin’s jockey Mark Walsh, and McCoy added: “This is the race everyone wants to win and for Mark to go out and win a Cheltenham Gold Cup is brilliant.

“He’s had a lot of success in those famous colours, but now he’s won the biggest race around.”

Barry Geraghty was in attendance at Cheltenham to watch the Gold Cup
Barry Geraghty was in attendance at Cheltenham to watch the Gold Cup (Mike Egerton/PA)

Barry Geraghty never won a Gold Cup in his time as retained rider for McManus, but is no stranger to success in the green and gold hoops at this meeting and hailed the training performance of Inothewayurthinkin’s handler – and also the decision to supplement the gelding into the contest at a cost of £25,000.

He said: “It’s unbelievable and what a call to supplement him, what a performance, that was mind-blowing.

“Galopin Des Champs ran a brilliant race and there were no hiding places and Inothewayurthinkin just picked up and winged the last, that jump was magic.

“It’s a brilliant result for the McManus family and JP and Mark Walsh especially, and what about Gavin Cromwell too – what a training performance. It will be some fun if he makes it to Aintree.”

Charlie Swan on Istabraq
Charlie Swan on Istabraq (Barry Batchelor/PA)

Charlie Swan is another with plenty of history with the McManus family and was the fortunate man who had the privilege of steering Istabraq around the undulations of the Cotswolds.

He was another in the clamour for a prime spot to welcome back the Gold Cup hero and said: “It’s brilliant for JP and he deserves it – if anyone deserves, it he does.

“This horse is improving and improving and he’s a relentless galloper.

“I don’t know about Aintree, it may come too soon, but I’m sure JP will enjoy today.”

McCoy backing Jonbon to give McManus first taste of Champion Chase glory

Sir Anthony McCoy is backing Jonbon to deliver a knockout blow to his BetMGM Queen Mother Champion Chase rivals and break his Cheltenham Festival duck in the process.

The Nicky Henderson-trained nine-year-old has only been beaten three times in 20 races under rules, but all of those defeats have come at Prestbury Park, including two previous losses at National Hunt racing’s showpiece event.

However, there was no disgrace in being second best behind superstar stablemate Constitution Hill in the 2022 Supreme and El Fabiolo was another formidable opponent at the time of their Arkle clash 12 months later.

Last season’s Clarence House Chase defeat at Cheltenham by Elixir De Nutz was disappointing, but Jonbon does have a couple of course wins on his card and returns there on the back of rock-solid Grade One strikes at Sandown and Ascot.

Highflyer Chase Day – Warwick Racecourse
AP McCoy, Aidan Coleman and Nicky Henderson with Jonbon (David Davies/PA).

William Hill ambassador McCoy – who won an epic renewal of this race when Edredon Bleu short-headed Direct Route in 2000 – said: “I absolutely love Jonbon and I would love to ride him in a Champion Chase.

“I think he’s absolutely tailor-made for the test it presents, because he’s a real strong stayer who jumps well – he’s almost like a better version of Edredon Bleu.

“There’s also a bit of Floyd Mayweather about him – he only just does enough, but he’s a hell of a winner. As far as this year’s race, I just think he wins.”

McCoy enjoyed great success when number one rider for Jonbon’s owner JP McManus and is still associated with the famous green and gold colours.

He added: “Jonbon is obviously one we’re really hoping can get the job done this year. He’s been a special horse for JP, and I think it’d be fitting if he were to be the first horse to win a Champion Chase for JP. That would be a big box ticked, for sure.”

McCoy is confident the McManus team have made the right decision in running Willie Mullins’ Fact To File in the Ryanair Chase, rather than taking on Galopin Des Champ for the fourth time this term in the Gold Cup.

Punchestown Races – Sunday November 24th
Fact To File racing against Galopin Des Champs at Punchestown (Niall Carson/PA).

Fact To File came out on top when they met in the John Durkan at Punchestown in November but has since been put in his place by his stablemate in the Savills Chase and the Irish Gold Cup at Leopardstown.

“I’d say that this year, the right race for him is the Ryanair,” said McCoy, speaking at a William Hill preview night.

“I know that a few people have said that they think his form might’ve regressed this season since the John Durkan, but I think he’s been ridden to try to beat Galopin Des Champs and, as we know, that’s an unbelievably tall order, particularly around Leopardstown.

“Looking at the rest of them in the Ryanair, the one that could totally take the race by storm is Il Est Francais. He put up a really bold display at Kempton, but you’d have question marks about how the undulations at Cheltenham would suit him. You’d also worry about him having bled before too.

“Protektorat is fairly solid as the defending champion, but if I had to ride one of them, it’d have to be Fact To File. And that’s not because JP owns him, it’s that he’s got great Festival form, and the drop back in trip should be perfect for him.”

Horse Racing – 2011 Christmas Festival – Lexus Chase Day – Leopardstown Racecourse
AP McCoy with JP McManus during his riding days (Niall Carson/PA).

McManus again has a whole host of fancied runners at Cheltenham and shows no signs of easing off in his pursuit of Festival success, having made mid-season purchases of The New Lion and The Wallpark.

“As regards JP, it really was such a pleasure to ride for him because he just loves horses,” said McCoy. “That’s what it comes down to with him – the love and respect for the animal.

“At every level, you know. He loves coming down and seeing the young three- and four-year-olds, thinking that they might be the next Synchronised, Jonbon or Istabraq.

“You see a lot of owners come into the sport – they have a few nice days in the sun, enjoy the attention that comes with it and love the big days. With JP, it’s so much deeper than that.

“He has a genuine, open-hearted love for the horse, and you just know his horses mean the absolute world to him. He loves the Cheltenham Festival, too – so riding for him there was just the biggest privilege and the best job in the world.”

McCoy: I would still be champion riding today

Ten years on from an on-the-spot announcement at Newbury that he would retire at the end of the season, Sir Anthony McCoy reckons he would still be champion jockey were he back riding.

McCoy shocked the racing world on February 7, 2015 when, after recording his 200th winner of the campaign aboard Mr Mole in the Game Spirit Chase, he told Channel 4’s Rishi Persad as he conducted a post-race interview that the season would be his last.

Speaking to William Hill for a video entitled ‘Sir AP McCoy: 10 Years On’, the 20-times champion said: “I rode my fastest-ever 100th winner that season, and I thought to myself — I’m actually getting better.

AP McCoy and Mr Mole clear the last fence before going on to win the Game Spirit at Newbury
AP McCoy and Mr Mole clear the last fence before going on to win the Game Spirit at Newbury (Julian Herbert/PA)

“I’d known for five years that I was going to retire. I’d been lucky enough to be champion jump jockey 15 years in a row then, and I thought, if I win five more, that’ll be 20, and that should be it.

“Newbury holds a special place for me, and I actually get a bit emotional thinking about it now. I always had this fear that people thought I wasn’t as good as I used to be, but more than that, I feared that myself. What if one day I went out there and thought, ‘I’m not as good as I was?’.

“Do I think I could’ve carried on? Do I think I’d have won a few more championships? Yeah, I do. I actually think if I were back riding today, I’d still be champion jockey.”

Big names bring festive cheer to patients and families at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital

Grand National-winning riders Sir Anthony McCoy, Rachael Blackmore and Mick Fitzgerald were among a group of jockeys aiming to spread Christmas cheer in a visit to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool earlier this week.

Fellow jumps rider Danny Mullins plus Flat jockeys Harry Davies and Ross Coakley and the recently-retired Franny Norton handed out gifts and spent time with some of the children currently receiving treatment on the wards and their families.

Aintree has a longstanding partnership with Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, with riders visiting every year ahead of the Grand National, but this was the first festive visit from current and former members of the weighing room.

McCoy, the 20-times champion jump jockey and Alder Hey patron, said: “Alder Hey is somewhere that I’ve been coming to for more than 20 years and I’ve seen the amazing work they do to raise funds to keep the place going and also the amazing work the nurses and doctors do – it’s the most fabulous place.”

Riders gave out gifts to children at Alder Hey
Riders gave out gifts to children at Alder Hey (Aintree Racecourse/The Jockey Club)

Merseyside-born Norton, who brought the curtain down on his 36-year career at Chester in September, had not visited before but found plenty to take inspiration from.

He said: “This was my first time visiting Alder Hey Children’s Hospital for a ward visit and it was a huge privilege.

“The work of everyone here is nothing short of awe-inspiring, as is the bravery of the children receiving treatment.”

Gill Kennedy, celebrity, VIP and events Manager at Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, added: “To see our friends from The Jockey Club at Christmas was such a lovely treat for everyone here at Alder Hey.

“Coming here during such a busy period to give Christmas presents to our children and young people and to spend time speaking to our families was really special for us all. Thank you for coming to see us.”

Aintree stage a meeting on Boxing Day and racegoers are encouraged to bring presents to drop off at the racecourse on the day, with all items distributed to children and families in the local community through the racecourse’s partners.

Monday Musings: Chasing Records

I chased after the young man at York, definitely arousing his interest, but with no definitive response, writes Tony Stafford. Yesterday morning, on a 22-minute call to his agent in Cambodia, I think I’d got a fair way along the road, but again, no reply from Gavin Horne.

It’s all so different now. Could you imagine 25 years ago being able to live 6,221 miles away and six time zones ahead of the UK and still sort the rides with such certainty for the now guaranteed four times champion Oisin Murphy? “He’s been with me for ten years and is the only jockey on my books, but it’s still a tough existence,” he says.

“I owe a lot to WhatsApp”, says Gavin, “I have everything ready for the trainers when they get to their offices at 6 a.m.” So far, the formula has brought a career-best 22% wins of his mounts, with 168 victories, 52 short of his best of 220 in 2019.

Four championships will be something to be proud of, but a shade insignificant in numerical terms compared with the 11 each by Lester Piggott and Pat Eddery. But one name – in flat racing terms anyway – stands above all others: Sir Gordon Richards, 26 titles and a peak of 269 in 1947.

It took the force of nature that was Tony McCoy to exceed the single-season tally with 289 jumps wins in 2002/3, one of 20 consecutive titles the dominant jumps rider amassed.

Returning to my first point. My initial question to Oisin was to ask whether he was likely to be away for large parts of the winter. He said not, so the prospect of lucrative stints in either Hong Kong or Japan was unlikely. Gavin Horne confirmed that supposition.

So we sit, with barely seven weeks of the Flat Race Jockeys’ Championship remaining to divvy up the honours and, after Champions Day at Ascot, that’s it.

What I was trying to emphasise to young Mr Murphy was that at the present rate of progress he would comfortably exceed the necessary 102 wins to beat Sir Gordon’s 77-year record and have a fighting chance to topple the McCoy tally.

This was the idea I floated, seemingly getting a positive response. The idea first came to mind based on the recent example of the 2023/4 jockeys’ championship in South Africa when Richard Fourie beat the existing record by more than 40 victories.

Turf Talk, my weekday daily read of all things South African racing, latched on to the Fourie phenomenon early, and issued a daily Barometer, as they called it, of his likely finishing figure.

It brought tremendous interest over there, unsurprisingly as he ended on 378 wins, despite putting the handbrake on with some more leisurely weeks as the conclusion came nearer.

My contention to Murphy and Horne was that the last weeks of the UK season on the flat, solely all-weather for seven weeks after the conclusion of the final meeting at Doncaster, needs a little enlivening.

Jump racing is of course the main diet of those times, but if we got a severely cold or excessively wet period, all-weather steps forward into the role for which it was first intended more than three decades ago (October 1985, when Conrad Allen won the first race and is still going strong!)

Other major jockeys will be elsewhere, but with their massive strings, Andrew Balding, Murphy’s boss, and many others have to keep going with their later developing juveniles and horses that need to get a win on the board, something that can be easier as the season draws on.

Gavin described Oisin’s last few days as “like a snowball going downhill and getting bigger and accelerating all the time.”

On one of our brief encounters at York, I asked if he’d given it any thought. “I need a winner here first,” he said. Naturally, he won the next race and four in all, one a day at the meeting.

Since then, though, it has indeed been the accelerating snowball. He rode two winners each day at Goodwood on Sunday, Epsom on Monday, Lingfield on Tuesday, Kempton on Wednesday and Sandown on Friday, topping it up with three at the Esher track on Saturday. Eleven different trainers contributed to the tally.

I’m pretty sure that if he did declare that he would be going all out, the rides would come in exponentially, requiring Mr Horne’s knowledge of the form book to sort the multiple chances in various races.

That 17-winner spell from York to Sandown came in 11 days. To beat Richards, he needs 25 wins a month and a couple more. To beat McCoy it’s another five a month, so virtually a winner a day in all. But I’m sure trainers would be falling over themselves to get his services, knowing that it would guarantee a committed ride by one of the best three jockeys in the weighing room.

Referring to this year’s action, Gavin said that Oisin had hardly over-exerted himself in collecting 46 wins up to early May when the championship took over; “He was pretty much messing around in the US,” he says. “If he’d have been at full throttle from January 1, he could have had a lot more winners by now,” he added.

Naturally, there would need to be an incentive and I’m pretty sure that one of the big bookmaking firms might like to get involved. The Oisin Betfred Barometer has a ring to it and I know from a quiet word with Ed Chamberlin that ITV would certainly like the extra excitement. With AP a regular on ITV for the jumping season, it would be interesting to see if his score was exceeded, whether he would be as gracious as Alastair Cook was when Joe Root beat his record number of Test match centuries at Lord’s on Saturday.

In the final analysis though, Murphy might not fancy the cold, winter days, up early to drive (or be driven) across to the all-weather tracks that are within comfortable reach of his base in Lambourn. You wouldn’t blame him if he didn’t fancy it, but how I’d love to see someone beat a great racing historical record that Piggott, Eddery, Dettori, not to forget Jason Weaver, never managed. And, of course, for Oisin to make his own little piece of history.

**

Talking of champion jockeys and agents, I was at a party yesterday hosted by Graham Smith-Bernal at his Newsells Park Stud in Hertfordshire. I sat at the same table as Tony Hind, agent to Ryan Moore, William Buick and many others. Tony is the flat-race equivalent of Dave Roberts, who looked after McCoy for all his career, but so many other top-notchers.

‘Bony Tony’, as he loves to be called, and his wife, along with friend Charlie Pigram and his better half, were all fully in step with the Tottenham Hotspur vibe, (as an Arsenal fan I wasn’t too upset when yesterday’s result came through), with former player Davd Howells also on our table.

Across the way were Ossie Ardiles, Steve Perryman (Bony’s idol whom he had never met before) and John Pratt, who played cricket with me at Lord’s I think in 1964. Hard to believe it was so long ago.

Buick was on family duty, often happily carrying his younger child outside the tent on a rare free day in the summer. To think I knew William, introduced by dad Walter in the press box at Newbury racecourse, when he was ten years old.

The party was arranged to thank members of various syndicates. The one involving Charlie and Bony includes Smith-Bernal, who retains 25%, and the Stud name includes club legends Ardiles, Brazil (Alan) and Hoddle (Glenn). The boys all made a £30k investment in several horses in which they have a share and Miss Fascinator, a daughter of Mehmas trained by Roger Varian, is likely to bring a big return.

Already a winner at Ascot and Newmarket, the two-year-old, bought for Newsells by Jamie Piggott for 72,000 Guineas, is rated an official 95 and, if she went to the sales, would probably be worth at least four times the purchase price.

Incidentally, Jamie Piggott was at the table alongside older sister Maureen Haggas and husband William who reported the “promising” Economics <as he called him> will be taking on the cream (minus City of Troy) of Aidan O’Brien in the Irish Champion Stakes next weekend.

His last run, when he got to and drew away from Brian Meehan’s smart colt Jayarebe at Deauville recently, got a big boost from the other side of the Atlantic this weekend. Jayarebe had won the Group 3 Hampton Court Stakes at Ascot before taking on Economics in France.

The third home at Ascot was Andrew Balding’s Bellum Justum, ridden by Murphy, and he went on to be a closing second to Jan Breughel in the Gordon Stakes at Goodwood.

Balding might have a massive string nowadays, but he is certainly aware of opportunities around the globe. On Saturday at Kentucky Downs, Bellum Justum went for the DK Horse Nashville Derby Invitational and won easily under Frankie Dettori. The prize? £830k to the winner! Nice to see Frankie’s still earning a crust!

- TS

 

Walsh hails Mullins’ achievement as rivals vow to come back stronger

Ruby Walsh described Willie Mullins as “somebody people should aspire to be” after the trainer emulated the great Vincent O’Brien by winning the UK trainers’ championship.

A Sandown double via Minella Cocooner and Impaire Et Passe provided a fitting finale to a season that has also seen the Closutton handler claim a 100th Cheltenham Festival success in March as well as winning the Champion Hurdle, Gold Cup and Grand National in the same season thanks to I Am Maximus’ heroics at Aintree.

Walsh, who was in the saddle for many great days in Mullins’ career and now plays a key role behind the scenes in the County Carlow operation, feels the 67-year-old has become an inspirational figure for others.

Ruby Walsh was at Sandown to watch Willie Mullins lift the jumps title
Ruby Walsh was at Sandown to watch Willie Mullins lift the jumps title (Steven Paston for the Jockey Club/PA)

“It’s huge, and from where he has started, to get to where he has ended up is massive,” said Walsh.

“I wasn’t there in the beginning, but it’s huge and when you look at things and people and then say who do I want to be and what do I want to achieve, I think he is somebody people should aspire to be.”

Paul Townend has been Closutton number one since Walsh’s retirement, winning four Gold Cups for his long-time employer and enjoying the best seat in the house during this record-breaking season.

Fresh from steering Impaire Et Passe to success, he said: “He has made my career and I went there as an apprentice straight from school and he is a genius of a man.

“Away from being a genius of a trainer, he is a lovely man to work with and very fair. I’m a very small part of a very big operation and very lucky to be where I am.”

 Willie Mullins poses with the Champion Trainer trophy alongside wife Jackie Mullins and son Patrick Mullins
Willie Mullins poses with the champion trainer trophy alongside wife Jackie Mullins and son Patrick Mullins (John Walton/PA)

Mullins’ son Patrick and wife Jackie were on hand for the Sandown celebrations, cutting a proud figure at Sandown as her husband lifted the trophy aloft.

She said: “It’s extraordinary what he has achieved and when we started off we didn’t think it would be anything like this.

“He’s very laidback and he was fast asleep during Patrick’s race at Perth yesterday – I had to wake him up.

“It’s such a team of horses and owners we have and it’s just an extraordinary time.”

Rich Ricci has enjoyed plenty of winners as an owner with Willie Mullins
Rich Ricci has enjoyed plenty of winners as an owner with Willie Mullins (Mike Egerton/PA)

Owner Rich Ricci has seen the likes of Annie Power, Faugheen and Vautour all thrive in the care of their master trainer.

He said: “It’s wonderful and I’m incredibly proud to be associated to the yard.

“I’ve been there for almost 20 years and I remembered when I first met him, I was introduced by a friend, and I sort of interviewed him and said ‘well you seem so brilliant, why don’t you have more success?’ and he said he just needed the ammunition so I said take this horse and if he continued to do well, we’ll continue to put some firepower in.

“He’s built an incredible business on the back of that investment amongst others and it is just wonderful to be a part of the whole story and that’s why we’re all here today.

“He could have turned his hand at anything and I asked him one time what would you have been if he hadn’t been a trainer and he said he would have liked to have been an architect – and you know what he would have been a good one. His attention to detail, his insistence on having things his own way, can you imagine the buildings he would have built.”

Another owner with cause to celebrate this season thanks to the exploits of Mullins is JP McManus, whose green and gold silks was carried by I Am Maximus at Aintree when Mullins registered his second National triumph earlier this month.

“He’s very talented and full marks to him,” said McManus.

“It would make it more interesting each year if he decides to give it a run. It was 70 years ago that Vincent O’Brien won it and it is a great achievement. It’s very special.”

Similar sentiments were echoed by McManus’ former jockey AP McCoy, with the 20-times champion suggesting that now Mullins has had a taste of the UK title, he could be back for more.

“It’s some achievement and not only that, he has won a Champion Hurdle, Gold Cup and Grand National in the same season,” said McCoy.

“I don’t think anyone will change racing the way Vincent O’Brien did, someone who was flying horses out of Ballydoyle 50 and 60 years ago and he was well ahead of his time.

“But to do what Willie has done is phenomenal and 70 years is a long time since someone has done it.

“To beat someone like Paul Nicholls – he’s been a 14-time champion trainer – and Dan Skelton who has had an unbelievable year as well, the worrying thing is once you get a taste it could happen again.

“I imagine someone as ambitious as Willie is will be looking at doing it again. He’s a genius of a trainer and he’s trained 100 Cheltenham Festival winners. I never thought someone would do that and I know it’s very different now but you still have to go and do it.

“He has built a machine and it goes everywhere. It goes all year round and it goes to Australia, it goes to America – he’s had horses run well in the Melbourne Cup and had horses win jumps races in America.

“He’s had horses in Ireland, France and I don’t think there has ever been a more dominant jumps trainer ever and I think it will probably be another 70 years before you get someone who makes it happen again.”

Willie Mullins with his "great mate" Nicky Henderson (right)
Willie Mullins with his “great mate” Nicky Henderson (right) (Nigel French/PA)

There was also congratulations from Nicky Henderson, who was both full of admiration for what his “great mate” has achieved and also warning the British trainers will try to wrestle back the title next season.

“Willie is a great mate and you can only admire what he has done, it’s a fantastic feat,” said Henderson.

“Me, Paul (Nicholls) and Dan (Skelton) were talking before racing and we’re going to amalgamate I think so we can take him on. It will take some doing but we’ll be back next year without some little blips in the middle I hope and we have some good horses to go to war with.

“The sad thing is we couldn’t play against him at Cheltenham and if we had Constitution Hill, Sir Gino, Jonbon and Shishkin, we would have had a proper team – but we left all those races to Willie!

“We’re very lucky, or some might say unlucky to be in the same era, but it’s what it is all about and you can only admire him. Luckily we are all good mates and we can enjoy it with them. We’ll have to see if we can go and knock them out in Ireland now!”

Nick Skelton is full of respect for Willie Mullins' achievements
Nick Skelton is full of respect for Willie Mullins’ achievements (Mike Egerton/PA)

Decorated Olympian Nick Skelton knows equine excellence when he sees it and acclaimed Mullins despite his son being pipped at the post.

“We can’t complain and Dan and Harry (Skelton, jockey) have had a great year,” said Skelton.

“It’s a shame and if you end up beating Paul, then you think you are going to win and then Willie comes along. But that’s a fantastic achievement from Willie to do what he has done and especially what he has done in Ireland as well.

“Anyone who has done in sport who has achieved what Willie has achieved – and Dan and Paul – you have to give them the utmost respect and I think what these three trainers have done for the sport in the last month has been incredible.”

Maximus the pick for champion owner McManus

JP McManus nominated I Am Maximus’ Randox Grand National success as the highlight of another championship-winning season in Britain.

McManus was crowned champion owner for the eighth successive season at Sandown, with Jonbon’s striking Grade One victory in the bet365 Celebration Chase at the Esher track providing a fine finale to the 2023-24 term.

However, I Am Maximus gave McManus his defining moment of the campaign when carrying the famous green and gold to his third triumph in the Aintree showpiece, with the 73-year-old expressing his love for the Merseyside marathon.

“We have had a good run this year and I have a great team of trainers, stable staff and jockeys and I couldn’t have done it without them,” said McManus.

“The Grand National was special, it’s the most special race and if I could pick one race in the world I would want to win, it is the Grand National. We celebrated well.”

Those sentiments were echoed by McManus’ long-time retained rider AP McCoy who believes his current squad is thronging with talent, with I Am Maximus and star novice Fact To File both Cheltenham Gold Cup contenders to get excited about next season.

AP McCoy has hailed JP McManus' love of racing
AP McCoy has hailed JP McManus’ love of racing (PA Wire)

“To win the Grand National with all his grandkids there, who are all old enough to remember it, meant a lot to him and he has probably the best team of horses he has ever had now,” said McCoy.

“There are a lot less in the UK, but there’s a lot better horses than he’s ever had and he loves it, he genuinely has the passion for it and that is what sets him apart. He will go down the farm in the summer time and he will be picking out horses and thinking is that going to be that and dreaming of what is going to happen the following year.

“He loves horse racing and I know everyone in that position should do but he genuinely loves it.”

McCoy excited to see Constitution Hill strut his stuff

Sir Tony McCoy sees Constitution Hill as the horse that can generate all the right headlines ahead of his bid for Champion Hurdle glory at the Cheltenham on Tuesday.

The former jump jockey, a 20-time champion, mentioned Nicky Henderson’s gelding alongside some of the great names who have graced the sport under both codes in the past.

Though Constitution Hill can not quite yet be hailed as a champion, McCoy feels he has the potential to elevate the sport to the front pages if his performance in the Champion Hurdle is as sparkling as expected.

He said: “We all see horses and sportspeople that have moments of brilliance and Frankel’s 2000 Guineas (in 2011) was one of the wow moments.

“As jump horses you have to achieve a lot to elevate yourself from the back page to the front. There have only been few jumpers that have been capable of doing that – other than Desert Orchid, Red Rum, Kauto Star and Best Mate there have not been many.

Constitution Hill winning the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at last season's Cheltenham Festival
Constitution Hill winning the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at last season’s Cheltenham Festival (Mike Egerton/PA)

“I look back at the hurdlers in recent times, Hurricane Fly is the best of the most recent ones, while Istabraq is the best one I’ve seen in my time. What Constitution Hill has done the last two times has had the wow factor about it in the ease in which he has won.

“He has beaten a good mare in Epatante a couple of times, but after the Champion Hurdle we will get a different reading as if he is able to do the same to those rivals then he might be able to get on the front page.”

The six-year-old is unbeaten under rules and has won five races, including four Grade Ones, by a combined 77 lengths having never looked remotely beatable thus far.

“There is no doubt he is a talented horse and if you picked one of the jump horses you would love to own or train he would be the pretender you would pick that could be the superstar,” McCoy added

“Hopefully, Constitution Hill can live up to his reputation and deliver that success under Nico de Boinville that we all want to see happen.”

The Best Exploiter of ‘The System’?

Jim Best wins the races..?

Jim Best wins the races..?

I wrote the below piece on 4th September 2014. But, in light of yesterday's verdict in the Jim Best case, it is both topical and prudent to revisit it, and consider - as well as the man himself - the wider implications, and what we as punters need to do to stay on the right side of such plots.

***

It was a contentious day at the office for British racing yesterday, as a plot unfolded in dramatic circumstances.

The race in question, a handicap hurdle at Southwell, looked a typically low grade Wednesday heat, the ten declared runners all being rated 100 or lower. Notably, trainer Jim Best was responsible for two of the ten. Tony McCoy was due to ride Into The Wind, the second favourite, and Rhys Flint would pilot apparent outsider, Saint Helena.

But, between declaration time on Tuesday and off time on Wednesday, a suspicious sequence of events transpired...

First, the more fancied of the two Best runners was withdrawn on account of the ground. Next, with McCoy now apparently without a ride in the race, Flint was 'jocked off' Saint Helena and the champion assumed the steering duties. All the while, market support for Saint Helena was strong, from before the notification of Into The Wind's absence right up until off time.

Saint Helena, a 9/1 shot in the morning, was eventually sent off the 11/10 favourite. As it transpired, she won, just, requiring all of McCoy's strength and race-riding nous to get the job done.

If you fail to see anything untoward in the above, that's probably because you're not party to Saint Helena's form history. A six year old mare, Saint Helena was good enough to win three times on the flat, off ratings as high as 79, and all on good to firm ground.

In her seven prior hurdle starts, she had run no closer to a winner than when a 69.75 length eleventh of twelve in her last race. That was a novice hurdle, and it was the latest bid from the trainer to get this horse handicapped.

**

The racing game in Britain and Ireland is predicated upon a few good horses running in stakes and conditions races, with the vast majority of the remainder running in weight for ability races once they've qualified.

The qualification criteria to receive an initial handicap rating are fairly straightforward, on the face of it at least:

In most cases a horse will have run on three occasions before being allocated a handicap rating. When handicapping a horse for the first time, it is necessary for there to be a clear correlation between the horse’s various performance figures and the handicap rating. Ideally from a handicapping perspective, the three qualifying runs would all be to a similar level, allowing a degree of confidence that the initial handicap rating is accurate.

If a horse returns performance figures of 60, 60 and 60, the Handicapper would almost certainly award an initial handicap rating of 60. The difficulty arises in three very different performance ratings, particularly in the case of a good run followed by two moderate performances. Generally the Handicapper will err on the side of caution with a handicap rating, giving emphasis to the best performance figure as long as that race looks solid.

Obviously, the official handicapper has a frequently horrific job in trying to nail form jelly to the ratings wall. And this was a case in point. Saint Helena, clearly a talented animal on the basis of her flat form on fast ground, had run seven times - four more than the minimum requirement - almost exclusively on soft and heavy, before being awarded an initial handicap rating.

Spot the difference between the win/placed flat form and the mark-seeking hurdles efforts. (Click the image to enlarge)

Saint Helena: Spot The Difference

Saint Helena: Spot The Difference

The British Horseracing Authority, via the on course stewards, called Jim Best in before the race, to explain the absence of Into The Wind. They then called him in after the race to explain the 'apparent' improvement in form of Saint Helena.

The released notes on that second 'chat' are thus:

The Stewards held an enquiry to consider the apparent improvement in form of the winner, SAINT HELENA (IRE), ridden by A P McCoy and trained by Jim Best, which had never previously been placed. They interviewed the trainer who stated that the mare, who had been a very buzzy type in the past, settled better today and had benefited from a break of one hundred and twenty-five days since her last run. He added that the mare was suited by the firmer ground on this occasion. Having heard his evidence they forwarded his explanation to the British Horseracing Authority so that the previous performances of SAINT HELENA (IRE) could be reviewed. The Stewards ordered the mare to be routine tested.

It is almost certainly true that Saint Helena was "better suited by the quicker ground" - after all, her best flat form was on quicker. Equally, she looks sure to have "benefited from a break of one hundred and twenty-five days since her last run" on the basis that she might have actually been trained for race fitness during that time.

The case has been referred to High Holborn, and we'll see what the beaks in town make of it.

**

An interesting story for a Wednesday in its own right, the Jim Best plot saga is actually a little older than 24 hours or so. Indeed, Best has multiple 'previous' for such coups, almost all with a matching fingerprint.

A quick 'system builder' query for Jim Best-trained, Tony McCoy-ridden horses running in handicap hurdles without a prior win for the trainer reveals a 47% win rate (15 from 32). Amongst this group of horses, all of which received the McCoy assistance for the first time, were the likes of:

6/08 Noble Minstrel  form F0775 - mark of 72 awarded - 58 days off - wins at 4/1

1/09 Rocky Ryan form 005 - mark of 90 awarded - 61 days off - wins at 15/8

6/13 Planetoid form 089F70 - mark of 85 awarded - 169 days off - wins at 5/6

8/13 Sugar Hiccup form 00070P - mark of 79 awarded - 239 days off - wins at 5/6

7/14 Money Money Money form 40P0 -mark of 80 awarded-250 days off-wins at 5/1

8/14 Kiama Bay form 09503 - mark of 104 awarded - 91 days off - wins at 7/4

9/14 Saint Helena form PP9P080 -mark of 82 awarded-125 days off - wins at 11/10

And the similarities don't end there.

Consider Planetoid. This was a horse that was due to be ridden by Mattie Batchelor, a Jim Best stable stalwart, but with a (seemingly) lamentable record of 0 wins from 71 rides for the yard.

What atrocious luck then to experience "car trouble" on the day of Planetoid's success, having ridden him on three of his unsuccessful prior starts. Lucky for connections, at least, that McCoy was there to take the spare mount. Ahem.

Here are the stewards' notes from Planetoid's win after interviewing the trainer about the apparent improvement in form:

The Stewards held an enquiry to consider the apparent improvement in form of the winner, PLANETOID (IRE), ridden by A.P. McCoy, and trained by Jim Best, which had never previously been placed. They interviewed the trainer who stated that the gelding had problems with his jumping last year and has been given a break in order to re-school him over hurdles. He further added that PLANETOID (IRE) was suited by this quicker ground and running for the first time in a handicap. Having heard his evidence they forwarded his explanation to the British Horseracing Authority so that the previous performances of PLANETOID (IRE) could be reviewed. The Stewards ordered the gelding to be routine tested.

And these are the stewards' notes after Sugar Hiccup's win:

The Stewards held an enquiry to consider the apparent improvement in form of the winner, SUGAR HICCUP (IRE), ridden by A.P. McCoy, and trained by Jim Best, which had never previously been placed. They interviewed the trainer’s representative who stated that the mare was suited by the faster ground and, having been off the course for 8 months, had been freshened up. Having heard his evidence they forwarded his explanation to the British Horseracing Authority so that the previous performances of SUGAR HICCUP (IRE) could be reviewed.

Finally, here's Money Money Money's post race stewards chat:

The Stewards held an enquiry to consider the apparent improvement in form of the winner, MONEY MONEY MONEY, ridden by A P McCoy, and trained by Jim Best, compared with its previous run at Fontwell on 13 November 2014 where the mare finished tenth of thirteen, beaten 110 lengths. They interviewed the trainer who stated that the mare had benefited from a break from racing and appeared to appreciate the better ground.

**

What it means for punters...

So a very clear pattern emerges to these Best 'job horses' and, in a racing jurisdiction so heavily based around the art of handicapping, it is a part of the punter's job to be aware of trainer behaviour. Jim Best is not the only exponent of mark manipulation. In fact, some higher profile handlers on the level - Luca Cumani and Sir Mark Prescott, for instance - are positively admired for their ability to 'get one ready'.

When betting in handicaps, punters must ALWAYS be aware of the material differences between today's race and a horse's recent efforts. That's where value lies, perhaps not in heavily gambled animals like Best's, but certainly with the smaller stables who are having a few quid on but passing serenely under the radar.

First time in a handicap always merits attention, especially when combined with a material change in circumstance, such as a step up in trip or markedly differing ground. A break between qualifying for a handicap rating and running in a handicap can also be a sign of expected improvement. After all, if a horse runs a week after qualifying for a mark, that doesn't leave a lot of time to get the beast fit, does it?

A drop in class can often help, as can to a lesser degree the fitting of headgear (especially a hood). These are considerations the smart bettor must make, and they are part of the game. Making those considerations in the microcosm of trainer patterns can be most instructive, and there are no Jim Best's in the list of 'most effective first time in a handicap hurdle after a break'.

No, sir. That list, which in truth probably never existed until now, contains four high profile National Hunt trainers: Nigel Twiston-Davies, Evan Williams, Anthony Honeyball, and Philip Hobbs. How many Class 5 Taunton handicap hurdles do you suppose they've carved up between themselves? And yet, these events pass largely without comment or question.

I guess the key difference is that Best's modus operandi is to take a proven flat performer and 'bugger about' with it to get the mark, whereas the jumps boys are dollying around in novice hurdles and bumpers beforehand. Which is worse, or better? I'm not sure.

What it means for the authorities...

The exaggerated game of cat and mouse between trainers and the official handicappers is one of great importance to the sport, both from an integrity, and from an interest and engagement perspective. And, the truth is that there is very little the authorities can do about things, as they stand.

Jim Best operated within the current rule set.

It is perfectly acceptable for a jockey change to occur when a better option becomes available due to a non-runner in the same race (cf. "25.3.5 the substitute Rider was declared to ride another horse in the same race but the horse is unable to run" from the Rules of Racing).

It is perfectly acceptable for a horse to be self-certificated on account of the ground, or indeed anything else, as long as the trainer does not breach a 15% of declarations threshold (cf. "8.3 For any Trainer, where the rate of non-runners in Jump races measured as a percentage of the Trainer's declarations in Jump races is 15% or more, the Authority may suspend the Trainer's ability to self-certify non-runners in accordance with Rule 97.3 for up to twelve months." from the Rules of Racing).

It is perfectly acceptable for a horse to 'apparently' improve markedly, as long as the trainer or his representative can explain the improvement after the race, should the local stewards deem it appropriate.

To borrow that hackneyed Dickens quote from, I think, Oliver Twist,

If the law supposes that,” said Mr. Bumble,… “the law is a ass—a idiot. If that’s the eye of the law, the law is a bachelor; and the worst I wish the law is that his eye may be opened by experience—by experience.

The BHA's eyes have been opened by experience. They are all too aware of the issue here. They spoke to Best both before and after the race; and they are due to call him in again in due course to discuss the matter further. (That said, they're still due to discuss the Planetoid run with him, fifteen months after the race. Perhaps they can discuss them, along with Sugar Hiccup, Money Money Money, and Kiama Bay, as a job lot... with the emphasis on the word 'job').

The key question for the BHA to answer themselves, rather than necessarily bring Best to book, is around the allocation of a handicap mark. It is usual practice for a horse to receive a mark after three runs, if not winning once or placing twice before that time. The handicappers already have discretion to await further evidence, and this discretionary power has been invoked in six of the seven cases mentioned above.

I am led to believe by the twitterati that Saint Helena's seven runs before a rating was allocated constitutes something of a record. But, while that insistence of further evidence is to be admired - and may be the solution to the problem ultimately, at least in part - it is unclear why the 'capper relented after seven inscrutable efforts.

It should be reasonable for the official handicapper to require as many runs as is necessary to give an opening mark or, alternatively, to give a deliberately cautious mark - to the tune of two stone, let's say - in agreement with the trainer. All trainers have a dialogue with the handicappers, and I imagine the next chinwag between David Dickinson, under whose remit most of the above cases fell, and Jim Best will be interesting...

Perhaps a horse should be initially required to run in three handicaps within x% of the race distance of those it raced in to qualify for a mark. That might make it more difficult for trainers to run horses over the wrong trip. Or perhaps a horse must run over the trip for which it is most obviously bred - with a percentage of latitude - prior to being awarded a mark.

These suggestions are somewhat left field, and I'd hate to see any of them introduced for the simple reason that they'd be a triumph of job creation, whilst most likely opening up new loopholes for trainers to figure out and subsequently exploit.

Nope, I think that whilst the governance of self-certification and the allocation of initial handicap ratings can - and must - be improved, the game can - and should - be allowed to continue largely unimpeded by further legislation.

We now all know the hallmarks of a Jim Best punt, so at the very least, the next time one is afoot, we can get involved!

Matt

p.s. what are your thoughts on this most contentious of issues? Leave a comment and let us know.