Being AP Page #2

and the best of luck to you.

Yes, that's right,

I mean, we're betting on

whether he'll reach 5,000 winners,

this is the next enormous land mark,

and, of course, when he got to 4,000,

we thought it was highly unlikely.

It's all numbers.

It's only ever been numbers.

It was about riding as many winners

as quickly as possible,

and give them as little time to dream about

even being champion jockey, as possible,

because the longer they have,

the more sometimes it can become reality.

I always wanted to just sicken them

as quickly as possible.

I wanted it to be over before it started

if I could help it, you know?

You know, and it's always that thing,

he wants them to look across at him

and go, "Oh, no, it's AP,"

and that's what you do

when you're riding against him,

you just think, "Oh, yeah, I've

got a chance, got a chance,"

then you look across,

and go, "Oh, no, it's like Doctor Death."

And they're off.

Lucky Prince is the first away being

followed by Chalk It Down and Dresden,

they're chased by Black Sea King

and Valley Brig and as they step over...

And they're rallying to the outside,

Chalk It Down, Dresden

also trying to get on terms,

they make the run down

towards the final fight...

And Dresden is down! Dresden is down,

and that has left Chalk It Down in front

in the hands of the champion jockey.

And going towards the finish,

is Chalk It Down who will chalk up

his first win over hurdles.

May be lucky.

Chalk It Down the winner,

Fancy King second,

Braccus third

and Lucky Prince of Valley bring in.

You kind of set yourself goals,

I was thinking if I rode 20 winners in May,

then that would be good, you know?

And you're getting there now?

Well, I've ridden 21, so I'm thinking now,

hopefully, I can ride 30 winners in May,

so the goal posts have changed quickly.

I'll be disappointed if I

don't ride 30 winners.

If I don't ride nine more in May you know.

And what happens if you don't?

Uh, that'll be

a bit of a failure, won't it.

I do worry about maybe

not being as good as I once was,

or not having as many winners

as I should have done,

or worrying that people might think because

I've had a lot of success in the past

that I might not be as hungry

to have it again, you know, so.

Or they might think that,

you know, his time is up,

he's not as good as he once was,

which happens to every sports person, so.

I will give it a go, and try to ride my

fastest ever fiftieth winner if I can, um,

but, also, I wanted to be champion jockey

this year,

'cause if I am, it'll

be my twentieth season

and, um, you know, that's something I could

never have dreamed of being able to do,

so this season will be harder than any

of the others to try and achieve that, so.

Tornado Bob from Don Quixote...

is rallying on that flat.

Tornado Bob, Don Quixote with that...

On the line.

McCoy getting it on close.

His fastest ever 50.

Don Quixote gone up in the shadows...

Does it mean

that he's got a target in mind?

Maybe that magic number of 289,

his best ever season tally, perhaps even

getting to that magic 300.

What an achievement that would be.

Is this realistic this season?

I think it is, there's no

doubt about it, he's got to the fastest 50,

he knows he's ahead of his schedule,

he'll have that marked.

Now his next target will be 100,

then the target after that 150,

then 200, then 250,

and then that magic number.

This time of the year,

he comes maybe once or twice a week really,

just to school all the young horses, and

even the older ones just to give them a pop.

Ah ya do, yeah.

I need this for a week, wouldn't it?

To be fair, to get in properly.

So he has an idea of which one he would

choose to ride if it came to that, you know.

You're gonna pop on Monday Gold first,

and fill some trumps, Master Fortune.

He's so much experience and what he tells you

about them, you take it on board really,

and nine times out of ten it comes true,

you know, so having him on is a great help.

- He seems happy enough taking the big ones.

- Mmm. Yeah.

Oh, he's clever, I suppose that's clever.

I like to see him do that.

- Yeah, he's very good. Yeah.

- He's good and brave, yeah?

But intelligent like 'cause he is a bit...

He was over the hurdle,

he was a little bit grabby, you know?

Whoa...

Whoa...

He has the horses

basically talking to him really,

and he makes them do

what they're supposed to do

- and gives them a lot of confidence doing it.

- Whoa...

Not everybody has

that magical effect really.

If he rides a horse

for the first time,

that horse has an uncanny knack

of improving once he's sat on it.

It's uncanny how many times he's won

on horses which shouldn't have won a race.

Something he gets

which the horse responds to,

and it happens so many times,

it can't be coincidence,

it's as if the horse

gets him on their back,

and the horse grows in confidence,

so the next time it runs,

it's, "I quite like this."

His mentality is exceptional,

his knowledge of the formbook,

you can ring up and ask him any horse,

he would know of what that horse can do.

The feedback he gives the trainer,

you mean a horse might need blinkers,

or it might need to be held up at the back,

and then the horse suddenly improves.

Yeah, there's better ground out

there, you can see the divots on the end.

And then he'd be... He'd run on like...

We've done his palette,

we did it in August.

At some point, you might think

about doing the whole job,

because that's why he's doing

what he's doing.

Do you know what, Luke?

I think he's been picking

his rides a little bit, too,

because he's so desperate to do it

in JP's colours.

When you get someone

that is as successful as JP McManus,

he's polite, he's quiet,

he's not exuberant.

If he goes ten ahead of you,

and you jump off with him,

- that's fine. At least he ends.

- Yeah.

You know,

he sees in somebody like JP,

somebody who's unbelievably loyal.

Don't give him a gift.

Don't give him a f***ing gift.

He's become really,

really close to JP and JonJo,

they've got a little bond between them.

There's AP, kinda looking for us, eh?

AP!

How are you AP?

He's lazy enough, if you have to hit a

slought now don't be fighting him a slought.

Because he is lazy, I'm telling you,

he's f***ing gone a bit old fashioned.

Yeah. Yeah.

You shouldn't have to.

And here is AP McCoy,

in the green and yellow hoops

of JP McManus,

trained by JonJo O'Neil, white cap.

You see your husband

putting themselves at risk every day,

and yes you've chosen to marry them,

and you've chosen

to support them in the career.

Come on!

But he has lived with the hardship

of having very bad injuries

for the last 20 odd years he's riding.

- Oh!

- Oh, my God!

His ability to control pain,

to manage pain is, um...

Is very unique, you know,

and very bizarre.

I mean, it is quite unusual

the way he can control concussion,

'cause if you're out and you step down.

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