Racing: The real McCoy

Tony McCoy gave another example of why he is in a class of his own by giving Upgrade a brilliant ride to win the KJ Pike & Sons Racing In Wessex Chase at Wincanton.

The 1998 Triumph Hurdle winner had failed to find his form so far this season, looking decidedly reluctant to race on his latest appearance when a distant third to Looks Like Trouble.

But with the McCoy factor in effect for the first time on the eight-year-old this term, Upgrade made all the running to run out an easy winner of the day’s feature contest, thrashing Whitenzo by 13 lengths.

Just in case Upgrade was considering repeating his antics of last time, McCoy made sure that Martin Pipe’s charge was first away as the tapes rose up and he was never passed, turning in some impressive jumps in the process.

Pipe’s son David was on hand to welcome McCoy and the 4-1 winner.

‘‘Dad found a good race for him here and Tony said some of the jumps he got out of him were amazing,’’ said Pipe jnr.

‘‘To me it looked like he was always going to win and hopefully the horse will have enjoyed it.

‘‘The problem is that in handicaps he is always going to find one or two younger and better-handicapped horses so we’d like to find another race like this.’’

Pipe jnr, who has a small yard of point-to-pointers next door to his father, went on to saddle a winner of his own when Horus took the Stewart Tory Memorial Hunters’ Chase.

The seven-year-old has been trained by Pipe jnr throughout his racing career and made an impressive debut over regulation fences here, scoring under Ashley Farrant, by an easy length and a quarter from Torduff Express.

‘‘He used to dive at his fences but he has got better and better with experience,’’ said the winning handler, who was celebrating his 29th birthday.

‘‘He might have a run between now and the Foxhunters’ Chase, it depends upon the weather, but if he hadn’t jumped round here he was going to struggle at Cheltenham.’’

Horus will definitely remain under the care of his present trainer for this season.

‘‘And if dad wants him next season I might have something to say about it,’’ the birthday boy added.

McCoy, who led the cheers as Farrant returned to the winner’s enclosure on Horus, completed a 15-1 double as he booted Achilles Wings home in the Wincanton Annual Members Handicap Hurdle.