Racing will miss AP McCoy more than he will miss it

In a marquee at Sandown Park at the conclusion of one of the most beautiful, emotional tear-stained goodbyes any great sportsman can ever wished to have been accorded came the dreaded, nagging question. What the hell will A.P McCoy do now?

In keeping with the celebratory mood, McCoy was happy to keep that lantern chin up and play along with the jokes amid all the backslaps and renditions of “For he’s a jolly good fellow”.

How about a job mucking out the stables at Jonjo O’Neill’s Jackdaws Castle yard? Or becoming a digger driver like J.P McManus once was? Or working behind the counter at a branch of William Hill? Or, as Clare Balding wondered, couldn’t he become a fireman? “Nah, that’s a proper job and I’m not brave enough for that,” joked the flintiest sportsman you ever saw.