AP McCoy Retirement

In nine days, Tony McCoy will, once more, stride through the gates of Cheltenham, the Cotswolds theatre of realised and broken dreams, as he has done since 1996. Poignant memories, warm and chill, will flood his mind before a fervent crowd attempts to lift him to a valedictory festival winner, or more, over the four days to add to his tally of 30.

Though filled with burning expectation and energised by his healthy prospects in the three principal events, this time he is aware his own emotions will be starkly different.

“I’ll be going into Cheltenham thinking I’ll never be going in here again as a jockey, and that’s not something I look forward to,” concedes the Northern Irishman who announced his impending retirement three weeks ago. “I’ve never been to Cheltenham and not been a jockey. It will be very strange, knowing that the next time I go there it will be as a spectator.”

Knowing that after partnering the John Kiely-trained Carlingford Lough (“got a very good chance in what is a very open Gold Cup. Favourite Silviniaco Conti has achieved the most. He’s the one we’ve all got to beat”), Jessica Harrington’s Champion Hurdle runner Jezki (his best hope of the four days) and Mr Mole (in the Queen Mother Champion Chase), that will be it.