Don’t Push It is real McCoy in Grand National
First thoughts are often right, first impressions often the deepest. Tony McCoy has spent the past 15 years breaking records with the regularity that politicians break promises and milestones that have long since been passed by him remain but a mere speck on the horizon of every other jockey.
His domination has brought 14 consecutive jump jockey's titles and he is currently well on course for 15th this season with a sixth double century within his grasp. Yet none of the 3000-and-counting times that we have marvelled as he won yet another race, sometimes with little more than his own force of will, had prepared us for this.
Don’t Push It had just won the John Smith’s Grand National at Aintree and, as he galloped passed the post, McCoy, the iron man of the sport, erupted into joy. So far, so likely but suddenly tears came to his eyes. “I’m being a big wuss,” he said. “But it’s everything to win the Grand National. I’ve won lots of big races and I’m supposed to be a good jockey, but to not have won it is a bit of a negative on the CV.”
Then the first name that McCoy thought to mention was that of Billy Rock, a small-time trainer from Co Antrim who died in 2003, but not before he laid the foundation stones of McCoy’s career. “When I started off riding for Billy Rock, he really believed in me,” McCoy said, wiping his eyes.
Rock may not be a name that many racing fans would know but McCoy has never made any secret of how much the man played a part in the jockey’s formative years. As he once said: “No-one will ever know how much I owed to this man. He was my lifetime mentor and nothing was too much trouble for him. I will sorely miss him as a friend.” The journey from the pasty-faced 12-year-old from Moneyglass, Co Antrim, to the greatest jump jockey has taken nearly 25 years but the race that finally brought McCoy his Grand National victory took just over nine minutes.
It was also a first National win for both trainer Jonjo O’Neill and owner JP McManus who could have been forgiven for thinking that his luck was out again when one of his four runners in the race, King Johns Castle, planted at the start and refused to race. Eric’s Charm did start – and quickly - but his leading role only lasted as far as the first fence, which left Conna Castle leading the field down to Becher’s Brook but even by then McCoy was starting to believe. To believe that O’Neill had been right in telling in telling McCoy to ride Don’t Push It, rather than stable companion Can’t Buy Time (who would not make it past the eighth fence), and that this was his day. “I hadn’t gone a mile and I wouldn’t have swapped him for anything in the world because I just thought, ‘this horse has totally taken to it’,” McCoy said. “And I mean anything. I don’t mean horses – anything, because I thought that this horse could win the Grand National.”
By the time the race was on in earnest three other jockeys were having the same thought. Denis O’Regan and Black Apalachi led over the Canal Turn for the second time with the leader being slowly reeled in by Hello Bud, ridden by 17-year-old Sam Twiston-Davies, who was in turn in the sights of Big Fella Thanks – with Barry Geraghty deputising for the injured Ruby Walsh - and Don’t Push It. The four horses were in a line jumping the second-last and Paul Nicholls, the trainer of Big Fella Thanks, might have been hoping that he would break his own National duck. However, Big Fella Thanks and Hello Bud both wilted, leaving Don’t Push It and Black Apalachi to fight out a duel from the final fence.
Black Apalachi lost no caste in defeat but he was never going to win in the final furlong as Don’t Push It pulled five lengths clear at the line, with State Of Play catching Big Fella Thanks for third. Hello Bud came fifth with Nina Carberry finishing seventh on Character Building.
There have been some character-building disappointments for McCoy over the years but he never gave up hope that he would have his day.
“My trainer put me on the right horse. I asked him to toss a coin and I think he tossed it a few times until he got Don’t Push It. Jonjo is an amazing trainer - he was very adamant - and I didn’t argue with him.
"I’m the biggest dreamer in the world, I dream every day, and for the past five or six years I’ve dreamt that I’d win the National. I got a bit down so this year I decided to enjoy myself.
"I’ve won a few other races that nobody knows but everyone on the street knows the Grand National, it’s the people’s race and from a jockey’s perspective that’s why it’s important. At least I can think that I’ve sort of done alright as a jockey now.”
McCoy made that impression a long time ago.
Tony McCoy’s Grand National record: 1995 Chatam (fell 12th), 1996 Deep Bramble (pulled up before 2 out); 1998 Challenger Du Luc (fell 1st); 1999 Eudipe (fell 22nd); 2000 Dark Stranger (unseated rider 3rd); 2001 Blowing Wind (3rd), 2002 Blowing Wind (3rd), 2003 Iris Bleu (pulled up before 16th); 2004 Jurancon II (fell 4th); 2005 Clan Royal (carried out 22nd); 2006 Clan Royal (3rd); 2007 L’Ami (10th); 2008 Butler’s Cabin (fell 22nd); 2009 Butler’s Cabin (7th); 2009 DON’T PUSH IT (1st).
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