Men of the year: AP McCoy

He spends half his life in a sauna, but it pays off. The legendary jockey recently rode his 4,000th winner...

When it comes to winning races, most people hark back to Kia-Ora-fuelled school sports days. Not Tony McCoy. He doesn’t just break records – he nukes ’em. In November, McCoy earned his 4,000th win (unheard of), casually donned the crown of Champion Jockey for his 18th consecutive season and found himself nominated for Sports Personality Of The Year (a title he won in 2010). Not that he’s thinking of retiring: “No matter how much you win or what records you break, someone will always win more and break the records.” Despite relentless travelling and injuries (“I have two metal strips each side of my spine fusing three vertebrae together”), next season will see McCoy set his sights on his 19th Champion Jockey title. “Some people might think I’m not very bright…”

See AP McCoy at The International Meeting at Cheltenham Racecourse on 13 & 14 December; lovetheraces.com

(Image: Dan Abraham, Racingfotos.com)