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2015 McCoy signs off with the sweetest of successes THERE was drama from first to last in 2015 with the crowning of a new golden hero, the final salute to a great champion and a gasp- inducing final-hurdle fall that saved bookmakers millions of pounds. Four weeks before, AP McCoy had announced he would retire at centrepiece of his farewell tour. Fans longed to see the soon-to-be 20-time champ crown his glorious career with another Festival winner and he did not disappoint. The memorable moment came when he gave Uxizandre a brilliant front-running ride ( below ) in the Grade 1 Ryanair Chase. “I got such a thrill riding him,” McCoy said after returning to a great reception on his 31st and last Festival winner. “I knew how desperately he wanted it,” said his wife Chanelle. “He wanted one more time to ride a winner at Cheltenham, to soak up the atmosphere. He wanted the end of the season, with Cheltenham’s four days the
approaching the final flight in the Mares’ Hurdle with a three-length lead on hot favourite Annie Power. But bookmakers who put the potential cost of a Walsh four-timer at £50 million were saved when Annie Power crumpled to the ground on landing and stablemate Glens Melody galloped past to victory. Mullins ended the week with a record eight winners (since equalled by Gordon Elliott). In what then seemed a footnote to the opening day’s action, the Elliott-trained Cause Of Causes took the National Hunt Chase. As it turned out, it was the first leg of a remarkable hat-trick as Cause Of Causes returned to win the Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Handicap Chase in 2016 and the Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase in 2017. The Cheltenham Gold Cup produced the fairytale of The Festival when Coneygree took the prize for the small Wiltshire stable of Mark and Sara Bradstock on only his fourth run over fences and less than four months since his chasing debut. He became the first novice to win the Gold Cup since Captain Christy in 1974, leading
the 16-runner field from the start and holding off all challengers under Nico de Boinville. Coneygree was bred by Sara’s father Lord Oaksey, the renowned amateur jockey, journalist and broadcaster, who did not live to see the glorious moment having died in 2012. He was at the forefront of thoughts on a day that summoned up his Corinthian spirit. “Fairytales do happen,” said Sara. “This doesn’t happen to people like us. It’s because my father was the greatest. That’s where we’ve got this luck from.” Other feature winners of the week were Dodging Bullets in the Queen Mother Champion Chase, the middle leg of a Wednesday treble for Paul Nicholls, and Cole Harden in the Stayers’ Hurdle, a first Festival success for trainer Warren Greatrex and jockey Gavin Sheehan. Greatrex ( left ) showed what it meant to him with a flood of joyous tears in the winner’s enclosure. In this most emotional of weeks, he was not alone.
that feeling one more time.” Ruby Walsh, McCoy’s great rival and friend, knows the feeling better than any jockey at The Festival and he started the week in unstoppable form . . . well, almost. Walsh, in combination with trainer Willie Mullins, reeled off the first three Grade 1 races on Douvan (Supreme Novices’ Hurdle), Un De Sceaux (Arkle Chase) and Faugheen (Champion Hurdle) and looked set for an unprecedented four-in-a-row
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