Spotlight: Horseracing Champion A.P. McCoy

Even if you’re not a big sports fan, you may still have heard of the champion horse racing jockey, Anthony Peter McCoy, MBE, OBE.

Not only is he on the cusp of riding the 4000th winner of his career, but he has also turned his hand to writing and published a brilliant new thriller.

We’ll be giving away copies of his new book at the end of the week (find out more at the end), but in the meantime, let’s take a look at the man himself and recount some of his sporting achievements.

Who is A. P. McCoy?

At time of writing, 39 year old jockey Tony has a massive 3998 wins under his belt. It is widely believed that this massive milestone will never be beaten.

His nearest rival is Richard Dunwoody, who rode just 1,699 winners throughout his entire career.

Did you know…?

A.P. McCoy was one of the most popular ever winners of the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year in 2010. He received an impressive 293,152 votes.
In the same year, he was also crowned Sportsman of the Year. This award is voted for by sports journalists, which proves his mass appeal with sports fans and professionals alike.
McCoy is an Arsenal fanatic. He’s friends with the great former player Ray Parlour and attends as many games as his schedule allows.
He has damaged or broken many of the bones in his body (some multiple times). The list includes both shoulder blades, collar bones, ankles, wrists, cheekbones, ribs, leg and back, as well as dislocated fingers, thumbs and chipped or broken teeth. Ouch!
He has to keep his weight at a steady ten stone. So he regularly spends an hour or so in the bath, sweating out any extra pounds. He also eats dinner only four times a week.

That’s dedication.

If you love horse racing, know someone who does or just fancy a brilliant new book for your shelf – come back to the blog on Friday 8th November when we’ll be giving away copies of A.P. McCoy’s new book, Taking the Fall.