TWENTY-TIME Champion Jockey AP McCoy gets back in the saddle to race for the last time for the Tumbledown Bar Donkey Derby at Moneyglass on Saturday, September 26.
In an event to celebrate his remarkable career, which included 4,348 wins including the Grand National, the Gold Cup, the Champion Chase, the Champion Hurdle and the King George, racing legend McCoy will hold a meet and greet session at the Tumbledown Bar starting at 2pm before he saddles up for the derby at 5.30pm.
Kilkenny All-Ireland winner Eoin Larkin will be one of his rivals in a field which could also include a former WBC featherweight champion Barry McGuigan.
After the derby, McCoy and Larkin will be joined by IBF Super-bantamweight champion Carl Frampton for a Q&A session co-hosted by Irish News columnist Paddy Heaney.
McCoy retired from racing in April, but he is still covering a lot of ground. The 2010 BBC Sports Personality of the Year spent last weekend in Canada at the Toronto Film Festival for the premiere of biopic ‘Being AP’ which is due to hit cinemas across Ireland in mid-November.
The movie was one of 20 to be selected (from 6000 films) for screening at the famous festival and is a fly-on-the-wall documentary of AP’s emotional final year as a jockey which provides an insight into the mindset of a champion, his unrelenting desire to succeed and his reluctance to turn his back on the sport he dominated for over two decades.
The Tumbledown Bar is under the management of AP’s sister Anne-Marie and his brother Colm and all the proceeds raised on the day will be donated to the Northern Ireland Childrens’ Hospice.
‘Being AP’ was directed by triple-BAFTA Award-winner and Emmy nominated Anthony Wonke. The movie illustrates McCoy’s stature as a genuine global sports superstar but to Anne-Marie he’ll always be her little brother.
“There will be a lot of people here - there are so many people who want to meet Anthony but I just think of him as a brother,” she said.
“Yes, of course you’re very proud of him and everything he’s done. So far he’s handled retirement alright. He came back for a race at Doncaster last week but I think this (the Donkey Derby) will be his last and he’s kind of been forced into it.
“He hesitated initially, but it didn’t take much persuasion and he said he would do it. You’d think he’ll be wanting to win it, but there’ll be plenty of people competing against him wanting to beat him.”
McCoy’s will to win is legendary of course but Kilkenny hurler Eoin Larkin – who scored two points in the Cats’ All-Ireland triumph against Galway on September 6 - doesn’t like coming in second either.
“I don’t think he has ever ridden before,” said Anne-Marie.
“Someone has been in touch with him through a Dunloy connection and he said he’d love to come.
“We haven’t got confirmation that Barry (McGuigan) is available to attend yet but, if he is, he has said he’ll do it.”
Anne Marie added: “From Tony retired in April we’ve been at him to come over and do something but he’s just been so busy. He wants to come over and thank people for the support he’s got for the last 20 years, he’ll be there all day to meet and greet.”
The entertainment at the Tumbledown Bar coincides with Moneyglass Point-to-Point and includes music from Brian Doyle and DJ Stephen McStocker from 4pm.
