Tony McCoy’s final Grand National produced no blaze of glory in which he could depart from the ranks of professional jockeys, but there was at least the blaze of television lights. No beaten jockey has been in this much demand after the famous steeplechase since Dick Francis met with even crueller disappointment on Devon Loch in 1956.
It would have been understandable if the champion jump jockey had wanted to slip out of a side door towards a fast car rather than discuss his feelings with anyone holding a microphone but, having taken time in the weighing room to collect his thoughts, McCoy answered every media request with a cheerfulness and a smoothness that perhaps offered a significant clue as to his future line of employment. And he offered insights about the experience of riding in the National that may be of assistance to any young jockey prepared to listen.
“I genuinely thought I was going to win,” he said, identifying Becher’s Brook on the second circuit as the high point of his hopes. “He just made a little bit of a mistake at the third-last. He’s probably just run out of gas a little bit, I was nursing him from there on in, I was hanging on to nothing.
“Many Clouds won the Hennessy, he’s a real stayer, but I did think until about four-out, which is a long way from home in the Grand National, I did think the dream was on.” Shutthefrontdoor was, inevitably, sent off the clear favourite at 6-1, despite concerns over the fact that he had not run for four months. McCoy specifically ruled out that long absence as having been a factor, insisting: “He was fit enough.
“I’m gutted. I actually really enjoyed myself. There’s nothing like riding in the Grand National for the thrill and the buzz, if you get on a horse that takes you round there for a lot of that race and you actually think that you’re genuinely going to win. There’s no other feeling like it.”
The many backers of Shutthefrontdoor would have been encouraged to see his green and gold silks with the white cap taking up a prominent position even before the field got to the first fence. McCoy later conceded that he had been rather more forward in the pack than had really been intended.
“I maybe was thinking about being a little further back but he travelled so well early doors that I wasn’t going to take it away from him. And then it was about saving as much energy as you could, by keeping it as simple as possible, keeping out of trouble and taking every hazard possible out of the equation.”
When The Druids Nephew fell while leading at the fifth-last, Shutthefrontdoor was left with only Many Clouds in front of him. But McCoy may already have begun to sense that his mount had little left for a final challenge and he began to push without response from the home turn. The pair were still second on the run to the last but three horses passed them from that point.
“I got a great ride off him. It might have been stamina but he ran a fantastic race and at least he gave us a thrill for a long way.”
And at least we now have another fortnight of McCoy before the final day of the jumps season at Sandown on 25 April, his fallback retirement date in the event that he was unable to win this and quit on the spot. But there may not be that many more rides to savour and indeed there were only two on this card, McCoy opting to take just a single mount over hurdles in the National build-up, finishing second.
He has rides booked for Tuesday but said here that he does not expect to take those, as he will be presenting trophies at the stable lads’ awards night in Ireland later that day. He plans to ride at Cheltenham on Wednesday and Thursday before going to Ayr for the Scottish Grand National on Saturday. His mount in that race will presumably be Catching On, currently a 12-1 shot but likely to shorten when punters turn their minds to that event.
These things cannot be taken for granted but, assuming McCoy makes it to Sandown the following weekend in one piece, there will be another healthy dose of media hoopla.
“In some ways, I’m looking forward to it, in other ways I’m not,” he said. “I’m not looking forward to the few days after that because I’m going to miss riding. I absolutely love riding. For whatever reason, I’m punishing myself by retiring but I know it’s the right time, it has to be done. It’s very difficult for a sportsperson to retire but I’ve been lucky that this’ll be my 20th year and I feel like I’m retiring at the top.”
Perhaps unfeelingly, someone asked what he would do with his evening, now that there was no cause for celebrating. “I’ll watch the Grand National,” McCoy replied, “try to see what went wrong. Then I’ll watch Match of the Day.” Since that last comment was directed to the BBC, it really appears that the 40-year-old may prove a very slick operator in his second career.
In another part of the racecourse, spectators were leaving goodbye messages for McCoy on a ‘signature wall’. One, apparently signed by an Irish bookmaker, said: “AP, in all your years riding, you have only ever done me a favour twice.” It was a message to gladden the heart of every punter, even if McCoy was unable to put one last famous hole in the bookies’ accounts.
