Saturday 25 April 2015 06:25, UK
Phil Taylor knows a thing or two about longevity in sport but even he is left to marvel at some of the records Tony McCoy can boast - he spoke to Sky Sports about his regard for the soon-to-retire National Hunt champion jockey.
Phil Taylor is a 16-time world champion across the BDO and PDC, and his other titles are almost too many to count, but even his two-decade dominance of darts pales in comparison to McCoy, who will retire after a final book of rides at Sandown on Saturday.
McCoy goes into his final day in the sport with 4,357 winners after a career that began as a fresh-faced apprentice in Ireland back in 1992.
Like Taylor, who was talked up as a future world champion by mentor Eric Bristow, many who saw McCoy in his early days saw the focus and determination to make it as a successful jumps jockey.
And that is something Taylor feels is vital in the make-up of any successful sportsman, as he told Sky Sports: "It takes a huge amount of dedication to stay at the top for so long and that is one thing that Tony McCoy has had over the years.
"Any aspiring jockey or competitors in any line of sport should look at Tony McCoy and think: ‘That is who I want to be like.’
"To stay focused, to want to win, week-in-week out, a lot of people haven’t got it. There are certain people who have got it and he’s one of them."
Perfect record
Taylor and McCoy have gone just about championship for championship since 1995, although there are a couple of gaps in the resume of the darts great, who cannot quite match the jockey's perfect record.
McCoy has never been beaten to the jockeys’ title, with the likes of Richard Johnson and Tom Scudamore left to bang their head against a brick wall as they battled for top spot. They will finally get their chance next season.
And Taylor feels it takes a special kind of person to show the desire to want to come back and get to the top of their particular sport time and time again, just as he has despite younger challengers Adrian Lewis and Michael van Gerwen denying him McCoy's undefeated crown.
When asked about McCoy's reasons for wanting to win so many titles, Taylor said: "I think it’s just his nature, it’s the nature of the beast.
"Again I keep saying this, it’s like Roy Keane, Peter Schmeichel and David Beckham - there are certain people in life who want to achieve and keep on achieving. Second is no good to them. This is what Tony is, he’s one of them.
"Me and Tony could sit down and understand each other exactly. You can see different sports people on television and you know exactly what is going through their mind at times."
Risks
Taylor is 14 years older than McCoy, at 54, but he is showing no signs of wanting to give up his sport yet, albeit one that doesn't quite bring the risks a national hunt jockey faces every time he starts a race.
And he feels McCoy has chosen the perfect time to call it a day, even though he couldn't quite manage to go out on the high of winning a second Grand National when Shutthefrontdoor proved a disappointment in the marathon race earlier in April.
McCoy had to wait until his 15th attempt before winning the big Aintree race aboard Don't Push It in 2010, a victory that also helped him become Sports Personality of the Year - ironically beating Taylor into second.
Taylor continued: "I think it’s perfect, I really do. It’s a tough game what he’s in, jumping over those big hurdles.
"Anything can happen and a lot of jockeys have suffered injuries. He’s got his health, he’s got his fitness. I’m sure he’s got plenty of money. He can have a nice life now.
"He will stay in the sport and he will do things on television, but now he can go and enjoy himself now that the pressure is off. I have talked to Tony about his diet and his health regime and they are literally living on a diet."
"there are certain people in life who want to achieve and keep on achieving. Second is no good to them. This is what Tony is, he’s one of them."
Shock
McCoy revealed his decision to retire to a great amount of shock in the racing industry at Newbury in February, and Taylor hinted he will approach his retirement in a similar fashion, when that day eventually arrives.
"One day you wake up and you think you’ve had enough. That day hasn’t come yet, but that’s when I will," he said.
"There might be things that Tony is not saying. He might be suffering a little bit with tiredness or he’s just had enough. The dedication you have to do – week-in-week-out – he probably has had enough now. He thinks: ‘Right, I’m going to enjoy my life now.’ I wouldn’t say he hasn’t enjoyed it, because he’s enjoyed his career, but the pressure will be off."
