McCoy praised by leading figures

Henrietta Knight described Tony McCoy's victory in the John Smith's Grand National as the "best result".

The 14-times champion finally laid his Aintree hoodoo to rest with an emotional Aintree success on Don't Push It for his boss JP McManus and trainer Jonjo O'Neill.

Knight has provided McCoy with several big-race successes, including the King George VI Chase on Best Mate and the Queen Mother Champion Chase on Edredon Bleu.

And the Wantage trainer was delighted McCoy capped his career by winning the world's greatest steeplechase at last.

"It was an absolutely brilliant result, the best result that could have been," said Knight.

"It was thoroughly deserved and just sealed the perfect career for such a great jockey. It put the icing on the cake.

"It was absolutely fantastic. I have never seen him so emotional when he finished a race. That and when he won the Champion Hurdle this year. Both races really moved him. It was fantastic."

Channel 4's racing pundit John McCririck feels the racing public's admiration for McCoy was summed up by the fact it was the winning jockey, not the horse, who received nearly all the plaudits.

"I've never been to a horse race where the winner's name was virtually not mentioned afterwards by the racing public. McCoy was all they were talking about," McCririck told At The Races.

"It was McCoy, this McCoy that. It was a tribute to the man, who has given so much to us for so long.

"It was the first time ever that the horse barely got a mention.

"Falls and that are occupational risks and hazards and no-one comes out of them better than AP."

National glory has elevated McCoy to being an early front-runner in the race to be BBC Sports Personality of the Year.

Even so, McCririck believes jump racing's undisputed champion has little chance of lifting that trophy.

"Lester Piggott never won it, the greatest jockey of them all John Francome never won it, racing is, we've got to face up to it, a minority sport," he went on.

"But the great thing about McCoy winning this Grand National is that he will now be catapulted on to the front page."

McCririck also gave due praise to the winning team as a whole.

"Look at the money he (JP McManus, owner) puts into racing both in Britain and in Ireland, his horses running all over the place. Every horse running on its merits," he remarked.

"He has some poor horses, some slow coaches some of them, but then he's got horses like the Champion Hurdle winner Binocular.

"Now he's won the Grand National and no man deserves it more then JP, a lovely fellow as well.

"He's got the money now, but he's been a sufferer, a punter, a bookmaker everything like that and it's fantastic for racing, not just for JP and AP, but also for Jonjo (O'Neill). We all know Jonjo's history.

"They are all decent, nice people. That's the thing. They are everything that is nice and wonderful about the sport of National Hunt racing."