Double moves McCoy nearer 4,000 winners Tony McCoy is just 11 winners away from the magical 4,000 over jumps after a double on Eastlake and Deadly Sting at Aintree. The 18-times champion took another step closer to yet another record-breaking achievement with a brace for trainer Jonjo O'Neill that again illustrated his talents in the saddle. Fresh from a treble on Saturday, he enjoyed a smooth success in the Weatherbys Hamilton Insurance Handicap Chase on Eastlake, owned by his boss JP McManus, after first Stagecoach Pearl and then Boxer Beat exchanged pacemaking duties. McCoy brought the 11/4 favourite to lead between the final two fences and go on to triumph by three and a quarter lengths from Anay Turge. "He jumped really well today and AP gave him a lovely spin round," O'Neill said. "Some days you think he could be a good horse, but then more times than enough he lets you down. "He has a wind problem so it depends on how he is on the day, I was delighted to see him go there and jump as well as he did and do his job well. "We have no target at the moment. We will play it by ear, but we might bring him back here for the Grand Sefton or something like that. "That might stretch his ability and stamina, but there will be other races for him in the calendar." McCoy more than earned his riding fee on Deadly Sting (11/8 favourite) after a fierce duel with the Sam Twiston-Davies-ridden Bally Braes in the matalan.co.uk Standard Open National Hunt Flat Race. The verdict was a head and the winner had to survive an inquiry after the first two appeared to bump in the closing stages.
