Princess leads tributes to retiring champion McCoy

By Ian Chadband LONDON, (Reuters) - The Princess Royal led the tributes as the racing world -- and beyond -- hailed the record-breaking career of Northern Ireland jump jockey A.P McCoy, which came to an emotional conclusion on Saturday. The 40-year-old McCoy brought down the curtain on his career at Sandown Park, where he was presented with the jockeys’ championship trophy for the 20th successive year Celebrities and sportsmen were quick to salute the farewell of a figure who has a claim to being Britain’s greatest sportsman after riding 4,357 winners. Britain's Princess Anne, a renown horseman herself, told the Racing Post newspaper: “I can only add my admiration to the epitome of a professional sportsman. Admiration that is heightened by my own, all too brief, experience of National Hunt Racing. “To win 20 championships is an exceptional achievement, perhaps unmatched in any other sporting discipline, and he has done it in a tough, exhilarating and often dangerous sport. He has been a credit to horseracing and he goes out still at the top of his profession.” As well as the seal of royal approval, which British bookmakers believe will be echoed later in the year with the strong possibility of a knighthood, luminaries from other sports also wanted to honour McCoy. Arsene Wenger, manager of McCoy’s beloved Arsenal, told Channel Four’s The Morning Line: “I would like to congratulate you for your outstanding career. It’s absolutely exceptional what you have done. "At Arsenal, we are inspired by that kind of dedication and quality and consistency you have shown in your career.” Sebastian Coe, double Olympic champion and organiser of the 2012 Olympics, said: “Great is an overused word in sport - get a couple of England caps and you're suddenly a great player. Genius is probably a word less used but I think A.P McCoy is both. “The guy is a genius in the saddle. It's just an extraordinary period of time that he has spanned - John Major still had two more years to run as Prime Minister! Put it in that context, you tell me anybody or anything that has maintained that level of market dominance. I think he's unique.” Steve Redgrave, Britain’s greatest Olympian, summed it up. “A.P has touched all our hearts. Truly a great to be remembered.” (Editing by Douglas Beattie)