Racing: Rest does McCoy good
Tony McCoy had bad news for his rivals at Ascot today.
The champion jockey is not taking things any easier just because an enforced three-day break has made it long odds against his reaching 300 winners for the season.
He marked his return to action with an 11-4 double at Uttoxeter, capped by a masterful ride to win on Shepherds Rest for his neighbour Charlie Morlock.
The champion jockey took his 2001/2 total to 274 winners as he made a triumphant start to an abbreviated week, which has been truncated by the Queen Mother’s funeral and a two-day whip ban.
Few of the tally took the skill needed to land the three-and-a-quarter-mile Lucia Farmers-Queens Hospital Cancer Appeal Handicap Chase on Shepherds Hymn - who had given him his record-equalling 269th win over two furlongs shorter at Warwick last week.
Not only was his mount a doubtful stayer but he also needed covering up for a late run in a small field - a task made extremely tricky when Leighton Aspell set up a big early lead on Just Adam who showed no sign of stopping.
But McCoy refused to panic on the 6-4 favourite and only gradually worked his into contention on the final circuit.
Even when moving onto the heels of the leader on the home turn he had the confidence to bide his time, not hitting the front until after the second-last fence and the going on to score by 11 lengths.
‘‘I wasn’t really confident he would stay but I had to ride the race as it was,’’ McCoy said.
‘‘You can look silly if you get there too soon and you can look silly if you leave it too late so it was nice to give Charlie a winner,’’ added the champion, next-door neighbour of the trainer in Kingston Lisle, outside Lambourn.
‘‘Tony judged it well as it is very difficult when one goes off in front and you are on a horse who needs a bit of company,’’ added an admiring Morlock.
‘‘You don’t know if the chasing pack are going to carry you there and he had to work to bridge the gap but he just about did it.’’
McCoy, who has refused to set himself any new target for the last fortnight of the jumps season beyond ‘‘riding as many winners as possible’’, had a more straightforward time on Quel Bon Choix for Martin Pipe in the Dog And Partridge, Tutbury, Novices’ Hurdle.
He led from the third flight on the 1-2 favourite and scored by a comfortable 10 lengths from Frankie’s River.
