Being AP

It's like being an addict,

I'm an addict to my way of life

because it's like a drug.

I'm an addict to riding horses,

I'm an addict to winning...

But it wears off and then you have to go

chasing it again.

It's all about winning,

that's what you're really addicted to.

That's why you go chasing that...

That kick that sort of makes it different.

I don't know where

the excitement comes from,

just the riding and

jumping the fences and...

With lots of other horses around you.

You know that there's not much room,

you don't get to see much,

there's horses falling around you.

I suppose near the end, I suppose

the adrenaline is in winning,

you know, I mean, that's all it's about,

it's all about winning.

I think you have to have goals in life,

you know,

you have to have something to chase,

you have to chase the thing

that you can't ever catch.

I don't think I was ever really content

with my life,

because no matter how you have a go at it,

no matter how much you try, you can't...

You can't be as good as you want to be.

Previous injuries?

Erm, cheekbone.

Okay, left or right?

Left, yeah, because I never really

got the feeling back.

Left collarbone, twice I think.

Shoulder blade... Can't remember which one.

- Sternum.

- Yeah.

The ribs are... They've

all had a go I think.

My back is fused from T...

9 to 12.

Done broke my right arm, um,

radius and ulna.

- Both at the same time?

- Both at the same time.

- Okay.

- My right wrist as well.

My left tib and fib.

I think I always get

kicked there a few times,

- that's all that is.

- Oh, dear.

And my right ankle, I think.

Never had a concussion?

- I've had lots of bangs on the head,

- Yeah.

But I've always been able to function

and know where I am.

Yeah, okay.

Hands on the side of your thighs.

As my career developed and I was

lucky enough to become successful, I...

It... It became a bit of a numbers thing,

you know?

When I started off,

I wanted to be champion jockey,

and when I was champion jockey then I,

you know, wanted to ride more winners

then any jump jockey had ridden before.

In 2002, I was able to do that,

I rode, 289 winners in that season.

Then you want to, you want to win

more jockey's championships

then any other jump jockey has before,

and you want to ride more winners than

any other jump jockey has before, and...

Um, when I rode 3,000 winners,

I actually thought,

I will be able to ride 4,000 winners,

I had it in my head,

I thought this is achievable, you know?

But as I say,

to be champion jockey 18 times,

to ride 4,000 winners is incomparable.

Crispin is out

in front here, Crispin from Panama Petrus.

Mountain Tunes still staying on, surely

he can't, can he? The final hurdle...

And there jumps Crispin

and Mountain Tunes and Tony McCoy

now launching a tremendous attack

on the outside. He's done it!

What a hero! What a sportsman!

What a jockey!

4,000 up for Tony McCoy on Mountain Tunes,

who played Crispin late and Panama Petrus

back in third place.

The thing about records

is they always get broken, you know,

they always get broken.

So I want to make it as tough as possible

for whoever is breaking them, you know?

Because in, you know, in 20 years' time

if someone is champion jockey

for the twentieth time, I'll be 60,

or when I'm dead and buried,

at least it won't annoy me.

Okay, we're going this way.

Evie, sweet... Sweet pea,

can you stay with me? Thank you.

Put your thing on.

Right, please... Please stay with me.

Right beside me.

Our award for

this season's champion jockey.

He's been the champion every year since he

started riding taking a conditional title

and 18 consecutive champion jockey titles.

He's won Gold Cups, Champion Hurdles,

Queen Mother Champion Chases,

and a Grand National.

Ladies and gentlemen,

a huge round of applause

for our champion jockey Tony McCoy!

I would love him

to retire at the end of this year.

Because the races are run at a faster pace,

so when the jockey does have a fall,

they hit the ground faster,

and there has been a lot of bad injuries over

the last, probably, two and three years.

Is Daddy going to win this?

Well, that's the plan, Eve, right?

The fact that we have two kids now,

and I think the sport

has been incredibly good to him,

erm, and he is 40.

You know, I know it's very young

in some ways, but in his career it's old.

Hold on, here's another one.

One more jump. One more jump.

He just needs to get over this.

Please, please, please don't fall.

Come on! Come on, hurry!

Come on!

Come on Anthony!

Come on, hurry!

Come on Anthony!

And on the day he's crowned 19 times

champion jockey Tony McCoy

gets home in the first.

Whoo!

So, yes, I would like him

to retire this year,

mainly because of safety reasons,

and to get him in one piece,

I don't want to have a husband that you

have to help out of bed every morning,

and, you know, ideally, that would be...

Erm, yeah.

Can you sum up

what 19, what number 19 means to you?

You got to enjoy the moment, um, hopefully,

I can win another jockey's title,

maybe win a few more.

Erm, I know a lot of people have asked me

about riding 5,000 winners,

and my wife would kill me for saying that,

but, you know, you got to give yourself

targets and goals.

You know I've been lucky...

I've been lucky to work with great people

that helped me win a lot, but...

And I have a great agent in Dave Roberts,

who books all my rides, you know,

so, um, you have to continue winning.

The season finishes

on the Saturday,

it starts again, I think,

now on the Tuesday,

you're back to zero

and you've got to be riding winners quickly

if you want to be champion jockey.

Hi, Dave Roberts speaking.

Hi, Dave, I'll pass you over to Alan.

I'm just checking with Chepstow tomorrow...

No, I don't run.

I've just spoken to Frank,

and we're not going to run him

on heavy ground.

Okay, so AP won't be riding him

tomorrow like that.

His kind of approach is numerical, if any

horse can win any race, he will ride it,

good jumper or bad jumper.

- Was there anything else?

- Okay, no thanks, bye.

That's what's got him where he is,

the fact that people know

that he will always ride everyday

if it's physically possible,

and that is the difference.

Yeah, very well, no, that's

fine for AP tonight.

Getting to the tally of 4,000,

that's probably a lot to

do why he's got there,

'cause either he'll go racing when a lot of

people, years ago, wouldn't have done.

They would've took days

off, but not him, no.

Rushing round these

little tracks, riding winners

for a couple of thousand,

and that... Are those basically, are those

his championship months, aren't they?

Yeah, they are.

I think what makes it extraordinary is

he's only got to compete against himself.

Yeah, he's still

willing to get in the car,

drive five hours up to

Newcastle for one ride,

turn around and then do it all over again.

Thank you very much, sir,

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