Sir Anthony Peter McCoy, commonly known
as A.P. McCoy, may have won the jump jockeys’ championship for 20
years in a row, but was leading jockey at the Cheltenham Festival
just twice, in 1997 and 1998. On the first occasion, McCoy rode just
three winners, but they included Make A Stand, who made all to win
the Champion Hurdle by 5 lengths, unchallenged, and Mr Mulligan, who
was always prominent and went clear three out to win the Cheltenham
Gold Cup by 9 lengths. McCoy also won the Arkle Chase on Or Royal,
although his task was made considerably easier by the departure of
the hot favourite, Mulligan, at the fourth last fence.
Other notable winners at the Cheltenham
Festival that year included Martha’s Son, trained by the late
Captain Tim Forster and ridden by Rodney Farrant, in the Queen Mother
Champion Chase and Florida Pearl, trained by Willie Mullins and
ridden by Richard Dunwoody, in the Champion Bumper. And, of course,
there was 5-year-old Istabraq, who was all out to win the Royal &
Sun Alliance Novices’ Hurdle by a length from Mighty Moss, but
would return to the Festival to win the Champion Hurdle for the next
three years running for Aidan O’Brien and Charlie Swan.
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