McCoy says he’s not above criticism, but RUK bust-up indicates he actually believes he is
The duo, apparently, had a go at McCoy following his riding of Get Me Out Of Here at Ascot on October 30.
Now, McCoy is not one to throw the toys out of the pram without good reason and the fact he felt it necessary to pull the plug completely on RUK, clearly after much soul-searching, has to be respected.
This is what McCoy said: “They (RUK) know the reason I won’t be talking to them is because of accusations that were made about my ride on Get Me Out Of Here. If the same comments had been made about a less well-known jockey, they could have ruined him.
“My situation with Racing UK is not about being criticised. I do not, for one moment, feel I am above criticism.
“The issue I have is I feel I was accused of wrongdoing. It’s about the way I feel a couple of Racing UK presenters did everything they could to make insinuations about the Ascot ride.
“The presenters used words that suggested to the wider public that I had not made the efforts to win on Get Me Out Of Here that I should have done.
“Everyone is entitled to their opinion and those Racing UK presenters are free to air that opinion. It’s better for me to keep myself to myself from now on and let them put across their opinion. If that is the route Racing UK wants to go down with their presenters, that’s fine.’
After all of that then you just had to go and watch the Ascot race in question. Get Me Out Of Here had top weight of 11-12 to carry in what was a competitive handicap.
Truth to tell, he never threatened to win, trailing in 16 lengths seventh of ten finishers behind Tocca Ferro.
Get Me Out Of Here was very free in the early stages, the last thing you want with a horse humping a big weight, and McCoy was at pains to get him settled.
Indeed course commentator, Richard Hoiles, is heard to remark soon after the start that “Get Me Out Of Here is quite keen.’
Horses who will not settle in the early stages nearly always struggle in the latter part of a contest and, to my eyes, McCoy really had no case to answer.
You could certainly maintain he should have been more vigorous in his efforts in the straight, but it would be utterly unrealistic to argue the horse might have won.
It is worth noting that Get Me Out Of Here was conceding Tocca Ferro 24lbs and that horse bolted in next time at Newbury.
I can’t say I know a whole lot about Mellish, but would regard Lydia Hislop as a tremendous broadcaster.
She seems to possess a wealth of knowledge and her interviews with people in racing can be seriously enlightening and very entertaining.
To my way of thinking McCoy’s reaction is wrong. He says he is not above criticism and yet, by refusing to go on RUK , indicates he actually believes he is.
He says that if the same comments had been made about a less well-known jockey they could have ruined him. Mild exaggeration, at least.
McCoy is one of the greatest ambassadors racing has ever had and is right up there with Dettori. His entire career has been based on honesty, integrity, enormous skill and, above all, awesome courage.
So, why is he running away from this, a fight he is certain to win? Obviously, his battle is with two presenters and RUK.
But even if we totally disagree with Hislop and Mellish, one has to defend their right to say what they feel.
McCoy, by his actions, isn’t just punishing RUK, he is punishing the very people who believe in him the most. He is, arguably, the biggest name in National Hunt racing and RUK viewers are entitled to hear his thoughts.
Remember, this is a subscription channel and you can be absolutely sure there are no floaters and those watching are true-blue racing followers.
What McCoy needs to do is take on Hislop and Mellish head-to-head. He’s tough and articulate and I’d back him to bat the other pair out of the ground in under five minutes.
Oh, by the way, Get Me Out Of Here has run once since Ascot, finishing 23 lengths sixth to Menorah at Cheltenham. And the fact he was 15 lengths adrift of fifth placed Olofi is surely worth a little mention!
