McCoy spells out commitment to O'Neill

Tony McCoy today refuted suggestions that he would not continue as number one rider at Jonjo O’Neill’s Jackdaws Castle yard if the stable did not “move up”.

The record-breaking champion jump jockey left top trainer Martin Pipe after eight highly successful seasons to join O’Neill at the end of last term.

He had been quoted in a Sunday newspaper as saying: “As far as I’m concerned, Jackdaws Castle has to move up, and if it doesn’t do that, then I don’t want to be there. Simple as that. But I know Jonjo wants it, too.”

In the wake of the quotes, McCoy told At The Races this afternoon: “Somebody put in that I said I didn’t want to be at Jackdaws, which is total nonsense.

“I love working for Jonjo. He’s a great trainer. It made it look like I was in a bit of a strop because we weren’t having as many winners as other people, but the winners will come.

“He’s a great trainer and I like riding for him and I’ll be riding for him for a long time, hopefully.”

The newspaper had also quoted him as saying: “Pipe is the most competitive person you can take on and he knows he’s getting the better of it at the minute.

“But that’s not always going to be the way. I certainly haven’t gone to Jonjo’s just to ride for a stable that’s got 100 horses, to go racing three or four days a week to ride nice horses.

“I want it to be a stable that produces winners every day, day in, day out, and has good horses on Saturdays.”