A LOT of time has been justifiably spent marvelling at the physical and psychological steel that drove Sir Anthony McCoy to an unbeaten sequence of 20 champion jockey titles.Along with his insatiable hunger and will to win, McCoy’s pugilistic fortitude was the ultimate embodiment of what it is that defines jump jockeys in a way that is distinct from most other sports people.
Granted, jockeys have some leeway due to the fact they are not the primary athletes, and that’s something they tend to fully exploit.The yarn about McCoy once being told by Martin Pipe he should delay getting his broken collarbone confirmed until he had won on two odds-on shots the following day illustrates the point pretty neatly. After a double at Exeter 24 hours later, Pipe’s vet duly diagnosed McCoy’s fracture via an X-ray on the kitchen floor at Pond House.
Jump jockeys have a high pain threshold and you need to be possessed of a sacrificial bent to thrive in the game. Barry Geraghty fits into that category.What happens between a patient and his doctor is privileged but, had Geraghty succeeded in riding at the Cheltenham Festival, this was an episode that might have made for a compelling chapter in his autobiography.
On Saturday night, the official line was that Geraghty had suffered one broken rib and a partially collapsed lung when he fell from Charli Parcs at Kempton.
Given Davy Russell rode in a couple of races on the Thursday of the 2013 festival with a collapsed lung and then returned to action properly seven days later after finally being forced off the Gold Cup runner-up Sir Des Champs, it seems jockeys can cope with a reduced lung capacity.
However, in Geraghty’s case, the ribs foiled him. He must have had a rough night in hospital, because on Sunday it emerged he had fractured a further five ribs, taking the count to six.
Suffice to say Geraghty was desperate to give himself every chance of riding at the festival. His absence will detract a little from events in Prestbury Park because, although a completely different animal to McCoy in many ways, his consistency and longevity are part of the fabric of the four-day gala. Like Ruby Walsh, the 37-year-old has ridden at least one winner in the Cotswolds in March since 2002. He is one of the finest big-race practitioners Ireland has produced and his odds had tumbled for the leading rider award for a reason, so it is sure to be a tough watch for him. Walsh is the only rider in the history of the festival to have won more races there than Geraghty. The running tally is 52-34 and they epitomise the spartan professionalism of modern-day marquee riders, strong characters who have eschewed the hair-raising lifestyles of old in favour of sensible diets, early nights and fitness regimes.
Incidentally, at odds of 1-2 for the leading rider award, Walsh may be one of the worst-value favourites of the festival. Put it this way, it is conceivable – however improbable – he won’t ride a winner on day one. Cheltenham can be an unforgiving place and, if that were to transpire, others would come into the equation. Walsh’s book simply isn’t what it might have been.
Geraghty’s running tally of Grade 1s is also bettered only by Walsh, whose 195 will surely never be topped, nevermind his final count. When you consider McCoy managed only – in relative terms – 84 top-level wins, they are phenomenal numbers and there isn’t another rider close to a century.
RUSSELL and Richard Johnson are cut from a similarly clean-living cloth and are of a similar vintage to Walsh and Geraghty.
They lead the chasing pack of active riders on 38 and 36 Grade 1 triumphs, with Paul Townend and Bryan Cooper then posting returns of 33 and 29, both of which are deeply impressive given their respective ages of 26 and 24. Russell will be bidding to score at a 12th consecutive festival, a remarkable prospect given he hasn’t always had a major patron.
All told, though, Cooper might be the man to keep on side in the leading rider market. The reigning Gold Cup-winning jockey has had a rough time with injuries, but is riding as well now as he has done at any point since succeeding Russell as Gigginstown’s number one. When you consider the depth and quality of his Cheltenham team – from Apple’s Jade, Petit Mouchoir, Empire Of Dirt and Outlander; to novices Death Duty, Disko and Alpha Des Obeaux as well as potential handicap mounts like Tombstone and Automated, he arguably has a more complete portfolio than anyone else.
Given the punishment Cooper’s body has taken since his finest hour aboard Don Cossack a year ago, he might be due the rub of the green and he could have a serious week if things fall his way. As such, odds of 12-1 about him dethroning Walsh are too big to ignore.
