When Tony 'A.P.' McCoy announced his retirement from racing the shockwaves reverberated across the entire world of sport. On his way to an unprecedented twentieth consecutive champion jockey's title and with more than 4,300 winners to his name, McCoy seemed to be at the peak of his powers when he suddenly brought down the curtain on an extraordinary career.
In Winner: A Racing Life, A.P. reflects upon the unparalleled career he forged from humble beginnings in Moneyglass, County Antrim, to the emotional day at Sandown in April 2015 when horse racing bade a tearful farewell to arguably its greatest ever star. In this searingly honest memoir McCoy relates in forensic detail the process that led to his decision to retire, recalls some of his greatest rides and most memorable victories, his close bonds to the Cheltenham Festival and Grand National and how he rode through an eyewatering catalogue of injuries in his relentless quest for winners.
With rare introspection A.P. lifts the lid on his family life and tells how fatherhood has changed him, confronts with raw emotion the tragic side of racing and looks ahead to a future no longer driven by the constant pursuit of victory. A remarkable insight into the combination of ruthlessness, talent, ambition and humility required to make the complete champion, this is a memoir rich with courage and triumphs, setbacks and pain, the private and public life of a true winner.
