A little over 24 hours after Tony McCoy stunned the racing world in announcing he would retire at the end of the season, the irrepressible Ulsterman roared to a fairytale success in the Hennessy Gold Cup at Leopardstown.
McCoy had already ridden his first winner since his bombshell when Sort It Out scored at the Dublin track in the famous silks of his boss JP McManus, but that was to prove simply a taster for what was to come in the Irish equivalent of the Gold Cup.
Again in the green and gold of McManus and this time for trainer John Kiely, McCoy produced 4-1 chance Carlingford Lough to perfection to get the better of a battle with Foxrock by three-quarters of a length.
McCoy said: "You can't fight fate and it was obviously meant to be the way things happened.
"Fair play to John Kiely. Every day I've been on this horse he's produced the goods.
"JP's family are here and my family are here. It's brilliant. It's what's meant to be.
"It's amazing the people here at Leopardstown today. I have to be careful I don't get too emotional, it's not good for the image."
Carlingford Lough was halved in price for the Betfred Gold Cup at Cheltenham next month, and McCoy said: "I might just get to steer him around on Gold Cup day at Cheltenham, which is probably the most important day of the whole jumping year and, on today's performance, he's got a live chance.
"He didn't really perform great there last year, but he just didn't get into a rhythm. He feels in great shape and look, it's a very open Gold Cup and he's definitely going to go there with a chance, hopefully."
"I wanted it to come out on my terms"
Reflecting on his decision to retire, McCoy, who was afforded a hero's welcome on his return to the winner's enclosure, said: "At the beginning of the season, after Jezki won at Punchestown, I was at home with JP and his son John and I mentioned that there was a possibility this could be my last year because I've been lucky enough to win 19 jockeys' championships and if I could win 20, it would be a great number.
"My wife Chanelle had no idea what was happening and I asked my agent Dave Roberts, who has been looking after me for 20 years, to come down on Monday night. I had the conversation with him - Chanelle had no idea, the only other person in the world that had any idea, I think, was JP and I told Dave in front of Chanelle and they were both a bit gobsmacked.
"I said I was thinking about retiring at the end of the season and I was wondering what way to go about it, whether I just leave it until after Aintree and then I was very aware that people might speculate because hopefully it was going to be my 20th year - I wanted it to come out on my terms."
McCoy said he intends to get Cheltenham and Aintree behind him and decide then whether to go out on a winner or ride until the last day of the season at Sandown on 25 April.
