Ryanair Chase report: Festival dream comes true for McCoy

Tony McCoy erased any fears he had of leaving his final Cheltenham Festival without a winner to his name when masterminding a bold front-running success aboard Uxizandre in the Ryanair Chase.

The 19-times champion jockey showed his intention as soon at the tapes lifted, sending the 18/1 shot straight into an unchallenged lead in the two-mile-five-furlong contest.

After jumping the first few fences with great fluency, the seven-year old quickly built up a healthy lead over his 13 rivals taking the field out for the final circuit.

Showing no signs of relenting, the JP McManus-owned gelding, one of two runners in the race for Alan King, continued to pour on the pressure from the front to get many of his rivals in trouble coming down the hill, where he was given a tactical breather by McCoy.

On the turn for home Hidden Cyclone, Don Cossack, Eduard and Johns Spirit all looked to be coming with late efforts, but it was the Nicky Henderson-trained mare Ma Filleule who proved the chief threat after moving powerfully up to the the heels of the long-time leader.

Not long after turning for home, though, Ma Filleule found herself under pressure as Uxizandre, who finished second in the JLT Novices' Chase 12 months ago, showed no signs of stopping under the soon-to-be-retired champion on the run to the penultimate fence.

Having been foot-perfect all the way round, Uxizandre measured the final two fences in perfect fashion before storming up the hill to maintain his gallop and score by five lengths from Ma Filleule, with Don Cossack a further three and three-quarters length back in third, and ensure McCoy would receive a hero's welcome on his return.

McCoy said: "I would love to say it's a relief, but I actually got such a thrill riding him. I was actually thinking I wouldn't mind riding the horse in next year's Champion Chase.

"He ran away with me for a mile and a half and I thought he would never keep it up, but I was quite happy coming down the hill, he kept looking at the television camera on his inside and I thought he had saved a bit for himself."

McCoy went on: "Fair play to Alan King, he had him spot on for today.

"It's great for JP and Noreen (McManus) as much as anything, they're the people I work for. They have been so good to me, so I'm delighted for JP and Noreen and all the family.

"It's nice. Cheltenham is about winning isn't?

"The thrill this horse gave me, I'll miss riding horses like this, the ones that run away with you and jump like stags. It has to happen at some point. It's a bit sad, but we will worry about it this time next year."

He added: "It's going to affect me more next year than this year, because I am still riding. This time next year I am going to miss it - I am missing it already and I haven't stopped yet.

"He stuck at it well and it's days like this I am going to miss."

McCoy's wife Chanelle said: "This is going to mean the world to him. When he got up and was heading into day three he wanted one more time to ride a winner at Cheltenham, to soak up the atmosphere and not finish his career without one more winner.

"He wanted that feeling one more time.

"He's not the most animated at the best of times, but this will absolutely mean the world to him."

McManus, to whom McCoy has enjoyed such a fantastic association as retained jockey, said: "It's great to be at Cheltenham and have a man like AP at your side. What can I say, I am just so happy and pleased that he has had a winner at his last Cheltenham, and that we provided it for him makes it even better.

"We spoke last week and he said if he can get him away this horse has loads of ability and he loves it out there in front, and that if the ground was not soft he would give a good go of it. I am just so pleased for everyone, they have all done a great job.

"I thought is this too good to be true, but sure enough it happened. It looked like he had the others in trouble and the problems were ahead of them."

While McManus was delighted to have supplied McCoy with what could potentially be his last ever Festival winner, King was equally happy to play his part in the story.

King said: "He has got very good Cheltenham form and he got lost a little bit on the winter ground. We hoped that the drying ground would help. AP gave him a hell of a ride and I think the visor has probably helped.

"It all fell right. When he is on song he can go a right gallop and gets horses at it. We thought we would put the visor on today, just to give him an added advantage

"We'll not see AP's like again, the winners, the dedication - I'm just delighted to have played a small part in it."

Of Ma Filleule, Anthony Bromley, representing owners Simon Munir and Isaac Souede, said: "She ran a brilliant race and I'm delighted for the connections of the winner as he's an ex-Million In Mind horse and I think the visor has probably helped him.

"Our mare ran great race and assuming she's OK, we'll aim towards the Bowl back over three miles at Aintree."