Saturday’s meeting at Sandown will go down in the history books as AP McCoy’s final day in the saddle. All eyes were on the Northern Irish man as he was crowned Champion Jockey for the 20th successive and final year. The seven race card was filled with well-known characters of the sport, from Sprinter Sacre looking to rekindle his brilliance of before, while the ten-year-old multiple Grade 1 winner Bob’s Worth (IRE) contested the competitive bet365 Gold Cup field. MENORAH (IRE) landed the first black-type race with a back-to-back win in the Listed bet365 Oaksey Chase. The ten-year-old son of King’s Theatre (IRE) was bred by Elizabeth Grant and Anna Brislane and is the winner of 13 races, including of the Supreme Novices' Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in 2010 and the Betfred Manifesto Novices' Chase at Aintree two years later. He was sold as a foal at the Tattersalls Ireland November Sale for €48,000 in 2005 and is out of the three-time winner Maid For Adventure (IRE), who is a half-sister to the Listed-placed hurdler Wild Venture (IRE).

The following race, the Grade 1 bet365 Celebration Chase, this year dedicated to McCoy, went the way of Henry de Bromhead’s SPECIAL TIARA. Winner of the Grade 1 John Smith's Maghull Novices' Chase at Aintree two seasons ago, the eight year old ran out an impressive winner from Sprinter Sacre with Mr Mole (IRE) taking third place. Special Tiara was also the winner of a Grade 2 at Kempton in December and has now five victories to his name.

JUST A PAR (IRE) led home an Irish-bred one-two-three in the bet365 Gold Cup Handicap Chase. Bred by Sean Whelan, the son of Island House led early on the run-in and stayed on to win from Irish-raider Vics Canvas (IRE) with Le Reve (IRE) back in third place. It was a third racecourse win for Just A Par (IRE) who had scored at Grade 2 level when successful in the Worcester Novices’ Chase in 2013. He finished second in the Grade 1 Sefton Novices’ Hurdle in the same year. He is the third foal out of the unraced Henbit mare Thebrownhen (IRE) and is from the family of the Thyestes Handicap Chase winner Homer Wells (IRE), the Grade 3 chase winner Rambling Minster and Grade 2 winning chaser Triptodicks (IRE).

McCoy rode his last race next to finish third aboard Box Office and to cheers of the 18,000-strong crowd. The usually stony-faced AP was visibly moved by the crowd’s reaction and later said, “I couldn’t have thought of a better way to end my career. It’s something I’ll remember forever.” A fitting tribute to a sportsman the industry will never forget.