AP McCoy

“EVEN in retirement, I still think about my failures and the races I didn’t win, more than I think about my achievements,” muses the 20-time consecutive champion jockey and all-time great Sir AP McCoy.

Many of us would find it unbelievable that the Northern Irishman cannot now sit back on his laurels and enjoy his accomplishments in the saddle, five years after retiring. Becoming the first jump jockey to ride to 4,000 victories, breaking Sir Gordon Richards’ record for most wins ridden in a season, two Gold Cups, a Grand National, a BBC Sports Personality of the Year crown, an OBE and a knighthood to top off a career that was successful at a meteoric level.

It is unlikely we’ll witness another AP McCoy during our lifetimes. However, it is his astonishing mindset that no doubt made him the untouchable champion he was for two decades.

“I went through a stint of seeing a sport psychologist, but it didn’t work out for me – I just ended up thinking my