Sir AP McCoy has hailed the retiring right-hand man who played a "huge part" in his record-breaking career in horse racing.
The 20-times champion jockey paid tribute to his former agent Dave Roberts, who bows out this week after more than three decades in the horse racing business. Roberts booked rides for McCoy, who raced to an astonishing 4,358 winners during his stunning career.
Before he hung up his boots in 2015, the National Hunt legend spoke fondly of Roberts' role in his success over the years, as he sought his counsel to plan his own exit strategy from the saddle.
Sharing a photo of them together today, McCoy tweeted: "My agent/friend Dave Roberts and I after I was champion conditional in 1994/1995 lucky for me he played a huge part in making the rest happen. Happy retirement Dave and thank you for everything." Among the records Roberts and McCoy worked towards were the rider's 289 jump wins in the 2001-2 season. Incoming champion Brian Hughes is expected to reach 200 before regaining his title at the Sandown season finale on Saturday.
Roberts, who also arranged rides for four-times champion Richard Johnson, plus Gold Cup and Grand National winners Adrian Maguire, Richard Guest and Andrew Thornton, revealed his decision on Nick Luck’s Daily Podcast. "I’ve always done my job saying I’d do it for 12 months and if you’re in for the season, you’re in for the season and the last couple of months I was just thinking ‘could I do another year of having 365 days of getting up at 5am every day?’ he said. “I think the head said yes, but the body said no."
McCoy, champion every year that he was a professional rider, consulted Roberts just before he told Channel 4 Racing viewers in 2015 he himself would be retiring. McCoy said at the time: “Dave Roberts (agent) was waiting when Mr Mole (the horse McCoy won on) pulled up and asked if I was OK and I had to ask him if it was the right thing to do even then, so I was having second thoughts even at that point."
In November 2013, McCoy rode his 4,000th career win on Mountain Tunes at Towcester, a day that was a poignant and proud moment for Roberts. “I think from a personal point of view, when Mountain Tunes won at Towcester, when AP won on that was probably the moment that would mean most to me," he said.
“The day before my father passed away and I remember going, my son drove me there, and I went on to the course to see him, as I used to do when he broke records, and he just looked at me, looked up and said ‘that was for your dad’ and that really hit a nerve which I never forgot."
He added: "I’ve gone on record many times, no disrespect to any jockey that rides or starts riding, but I don’t think anybody will ever reach the figures that he (McCoy) reached. It was a very special era and a very special person and jockey who you were dealing with. It certainly won’t happen in my lifetime, I really don’t think so.” Roberts once had as many as 69 jockeys on his books and retires with the current number nearing 50.
