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McCoy heads honours list at Irish jumps awards


TONY McCOY'S record-breaking year was acknowledged at the annual Irish National Hunt awards at the Dunraven Hotel in Adare on Sunday night.



The Ulster-born 13-time British champion was represented by his sister Roisin, who collected the special achievement award on his behalf, notably for his feat on that wet Monday afternoon in Plumpton last February when he gained a landmark 3,000 success aboard Restless D’Artaix.



Ruby Walsh, who celebrated his 30th birthday in May, flew back from Stratford to pick up the leading jockey award. This was his sixth year in a row to claim the title and his seventh in all after racking up 119 winners in Ireland, 38 clear of runner-up Davy Russell.



Tim Finn was given a standing ovation on the night after receiving the stable staff award. Finn, who started his career with the late Willie O’Grady in the early 1950’s, became head lad in the early 1960’s before spending many years in a similar role for O’Grady’s son Edward.



Other winners on and to collect their awards included leading amateur rider Patrick Mullins, who registered 50 winners to claim this title for the second year and his father Willie who ran away with the trainers' title. The Carlow trainer racked up 136 winners from 513 runners and between win and place prize-money amounted to a staggering €2,771,512.



JP McManus was on hand to collect his champion owner award, his 14th consecutive time to be crowned leading owner in Ireland after winning 63 races last term.



Mark Costello, deputy editor of the Irish Field, accepted the contribution to the industry award on behalf of the Irish trade newspaper, while the other winners on the night were Nina Carberry (leading female rider), Derek O’Connor (point-to-point award), Alain Cawley (leading claiming jockey) and Jessica Harrington (leading trainer of mares).

Does anyone have videos of Mccoy's greatest rides as some of the effort he puts in to win races on beaten horses is something else.


Magical McCoy snatches unlikely Plate victory


Report: Market Rasen, Saturday
Totesport.com Summer Plate Handicap Chase (Listed Race) 2m6½f

NOSTRINGSATTACHED got up in the final strides to wrestle the Summer Plate from stablemate Keepitsecret under an inspired ride from champion jockey Tony McCoy.

The winner looked well and truly beaten with two fences to jump but McCoy had other ideas and lifted his mount to the most unlikely victory.

The race was run at ferocious pace from the off with 2007 winner Iron Manand Prestbury Knight setting a searching gallop in front.

It was not long before the leaders started to feel their early exertions as No Panic, bidding to give trainer Peter Bowen his fourth successive Summer Plate victory, swept intothe lead turning for home.


Nostringsattached was already being hard ridden at this stage and the biggest threat looked to be Keepitsecret, who had made progress from the rear under Dominic Elsworth. A decent jump at the last put Keepitsecret into a narrow lead as his rider asked for maximum effort.

He looked sure to collect until McCoy galvanised Nostringsattached for a last-gasp effort and, in the final stride, he joined his Jonjo O'Neill-trained stablemate on the line and beat him in a photo finish.

O'Neill said: "He (McCoy) was brilliant on him. He had traffic problems three out and he was in a bit of trouble. To be honest I thought Dominic (Elsworth, on Keepitsecret) had it won from where I was watching, but AP then arrived at the right time.

"He got a bit of confidence from his win at Ffos Las but maybe we're getting the hang of riding him the right way too. He did his job well, but he did have a few traffic problems and there's only AP who could get him up on the line."

No Panic kept on for third at 10-1 with the prominently ridden King Troy keeping on well for fourth at 16-1.