Horse racing and football – different beasts but similar mentalities to reach the top.
AP McCoy will bow out from a horse racing career that has seen him tick about every box and create some new ones while he is at it.
As part of his valedictory farewell to a sport he has broken just about every bone for, McCoy allowed Guardian columnist Donald McRae into his home for an in-depth chat.
The interview covers a range of topics – beards, tractors, doubt, injuries and future plans – but we were fascinated with his take on fellow Irishman Roy Keane.
McCoy laughs about a Keane comment on psychiatrist Steve Peters’ book ‘The Chimp Paradox’. The Irish assistant coach once remarked that his inner chimp would not allow him to buy a copy of the tome written by a man said to have inspired Ronnie O’Sullivan and Padraig Harrington to success.
McCoy says, ‘I have actually read articles about The Chimp Paradox and the three parts of the brain it controls but I would be like Roy Keane in knowing what my fucking job is. My job is to beat every fucker out there. So I’m a bit like Keane in being too thick and stubborn to want to talk about the chimp.
‘I really like Roy Keane. He seems as mad as I am. I find him amusing as a pundit. I love it when someone says such-and-such had a good game. And Keane says, “That’s his job. He’s supposed to have a good game.”.’
‘Keane’s right. That footballer’s getting paid 200 fucking grand a week… what’s he supposed to do? He’s meant to run faster than the fella besides him.’
The idea of agreeing so much with Keane causes McCoy no end of amusement.
‘Jesus, that’s mad. I can see a lot of similarities between me and Roy Keane.’
This last one with @AP_McCoy meant a lot. A moving, sometimes amusing, two hours at home with an enduring champion… http://t.co/o2pLrGY8s8
— Donald McRae (@donaldgmcrae) April 24, 2015
You can check out the full interview here.
