National is the real McCoy

Published on Saturday 10 April 2010 22:33

Britain's most prestigious race is finally won, in style, by the most prestigious jockey riding Don't Push It

AT LONG long, last the greatest jumps jockey of all time has won the greatest race of them all. There was never any doubt that AP McCoy was the best National Hunt rider of all time, so it seemed almost peevish that he had been denied the chance to celebrate victory in the Grand National, but all that is in the past now, thanks to the little bit of history he made yesterday at Aintree.

When Tony McCoy crossed the finishing line of the John Smith's Grand National aboard Don't Push It just before 4.30pm yesterday, even those who had not backed the horse cheered all around the course – you could have heard the roar back in his home county of Antrim. That's what it meant for racing fans – the 14-times champion jockey had won the National, and all around these islands there will be a great many people so very pleased for him, and not just because McCoy brought home the loot yet again, smashing the bookies to the tune of tens of millions aboard the 10-1 co-favourite.

The man who has broken every jockeyship record going, the perennial punters' champion, is a true phenomenon of sport, overcoming several serious injuries and even a broken back to boot home more than 3,000 winners. He has an almost fanatical following among racing fans, because he is simply the best horseman and never, ever gives up trying to win unless a horse tells him it can do no more.

Now at last the winner at the 15th attempt, he will have even greater public acclaim, as McCoy said afterwards: "I am the biggest dreamer in the world so I always believed I would win it. It's the people's race, the one that the public recognise."

Maybe his little daughter Eve might now pay her father more attention: "She's big into Ruby Walsh at the moment," said her rueful dad.

Don't Push It was not one of those horses that needed pushing by McCoy. The brave ten-year-old gelding humped a massive weight of 11st 5lbs – the biggest burden since Grittar won in 1982 – round the four-and-a-half miles and 30 perilous fences of the National but was still running on at the end.

McCoy said: "I knew after a mile that he was going well and I wouldn't have swapped him for anything." It was a typical McCoy ride, the horse being placed perfectly at every fence as he hunted round behind first Conna Castle and then Black Apalachi.

To show the vagaries of racing fortune, another McManus horse, King John's Castle, the mount of Paul Carberry, planted himself at the start and refused to race. At least Eric's Charm got to the first before departing.

Conna Castle led the field all the way to Becher's Brook on the second circuit, before Black Apalachi took charge under Denis O'Regan.

Last year's winner Mon Mome had broken the long-standing tradition that a French-bred horse never wins the Grand National, but as other previous winners have done, he fell.

Rounding the home turn, Don't Push It came alongside Black Apalachi, but the Dessie Hughes-trained winner of the 2008 Becher Chase was not going to give up easily.

Over the last and onto the long run-in, it looked as though McCoy had more horse under him, but he was made to fight to the Elbow where Don't Push It finally asserted and raced away to win by five lengths, the 16-1 shot State of Play running on for third.

There had been high drama affecting the chances of National co-favourite Big Fella Thanks in the John Smith's Dick Frances Aintree hurdle, two races before the big one. Double National winner Ruby Walsh suffered a crashing fall from Celestial Halo two out just as he looked set to win the race, and the racecourse ambulance was called to take the 30-year-old Irishman to Fazakerly Hospital with a suspected broken arm.

A quick jockey reshuffle by champion trainer Paul Nicholls saw Barry Geraghty come off Tricky Trickster and onto Big Fella Thanks with Richard Johnson not a bad substitute for Geraghty.

Big Fella Thanks plugged on to take fourth place at 10-1, which means each-way favourite backers will have been kept happy.

There were 14 finishers in all with Paul Carberry's sister Nina Carberry putting in a tremendous performance to finish seventh on Character Building, behind former Scottish National winner Hello Bud in fifth and Snow Morning in sixth,.

Surely no winner has ever given McCoy more pleasure than Don't Push It, the Irishman clearly overcome with emotion as soon as he crossed the line.

Joining him in the wet-eyed division as they celebrated their first National after years of trying were trainer Jonjo O'Neill and his retaining owner JP McManus, the legendary Limerick Kid. They have been a great team for many years now, but this was surely the summit of their joint achievements.

Walking into the media centre after the race, they were given a unique standing ovation, and McManus quipped: "It's my first time in here. It's nice." O'Neill was beatific: " I am delighted for AP, JP and all the lads, especially Alan Berry who looks after him. I honestly never thought we would win."

Before the race, the other main piece of news was due to the warm weather in Liverpool. The jockeys after the first were adamant that the ground was good all round – 'rides like a carpet', said Richie McGrath, which makes you wonder what he's put down on the floors of his house. The betting indicated that the punters had latched on to Ruby Walsh's absence and Big Fella Thanks drifted while the money avalanched in for McCoy and Don't Push It.

"I never had a penny on it," said JP McManus. And for once you could believe it.

Once again the Grand National has thrown up a whole host of stories, and the world's most famous race is thriving, 25 years on from Ivan Straker, then chairman of Seagram's, stepping in to save the National from closure. Aintree and John Smith's yesterday unveiled their first list of Grand National legends, featuring Red Rum and trainer Ginger McCain, Sir Peter O'Sullevan, Jenny Pitman and Captain Martin Becher – surely Tony McCoy must take his place in the list very soon.

The other races included two grade one events. The John Smith's Maghull Novices Chase saw a faultless display of jumping by Tataniano, the 100-30 shot who gave Ruby Walsh an armchair ride which sadly was not the case for him in the next race.

The John Smith's Dick Frances Aintree hurdle was named in honour of the famous author of racing detective stories who died in February. His name will be forever linked to Aintree as the unfortunate jockey aboard the Queen Mother's Devon Loch who flopped just yards from the line in one of racing's greatest mysteries.

Celestial Halo's fall allowed Khyber Kim to win the race and increased hopes that he will take the Champion Hurdle next year.

The opening John Smith's Novices Hurdle worth 60,000 went to the unbeaten-over-hurdles Peddler's Cross the 5-4 favourite who won a mite cosily under Jason Maguire.

With all due respect to these winners, however, the day belonged to Jonjo, and the most famous initials in the land – JO and AP, Grand National winners at last.