For one final time , the greatest ever jump jockey will grace his sport ’ s most spectacular and exciting stage . I urge you not to miss him . McCoy . AP . Nineteen-time champion jump jockey and the most recognisable initials in sport . The 2015 Cheltenham Festival boasts a glittering cast of equine and human stars but the spotlight is on one man . Ruby Walsh ( right ) will ride Willie Mullins-trained Faugheen in the Champions Hurdle at Cheltenham . The one who will finally walk away from the sport by the end of this season after announcing his abdication following an unchallenged 20-year reign . He is the phenomenon whose record-smashing , off-the-scale achievements have transcended the parochial boundaries of horse racing , the patron saint to millions of punters and sworn enemy of bookmakers . But both sides of that age-old skirmish will probably be praying that the 40-year-old from County Antrim has a final Festival to remember . The next four days for McCoy are not the last time he will ride . It will probably not even be the last time he rides at Cheltenham . McCoy celebrates winning the Gold Cup with Synchronised in 2012 . But it seems like the equivalent of Roger Federer ’ s last game on Wimbledon ’ s Centre Court , Ronnie O ’ Sullivan playing his final frame at The Crucible and — should Liverpool make it through — Steven Gerrard stepping on to the Wembley turf in an FA Cup final . But none of those icons can boast the domination of their own sport like McCoy has ruled racing . He is arguably the best pound-for-pound sportsman around — something crucial in a sport where weights and measures equate to short-head victories or defeats . And nobody loves winning and hates losing more than AP . Thirty Festival wins started with Kibreet in the 1996 Grand Annual Chase . Look back a further 12 months and no-one would have guessed the shape of the last 20 years . His first meeting , then held over three days , consisted of seven rides , three of them 100-1 shots . First up was Supreme Master , who was 16th of 20 in the Supreme Novices ’ Hurdle . Champion jockey AP McCoy will be competing his his last Cheltenham Festival before retirement . There was a seventh place finish on veteran Beech Road behind Master Oats in the Gold Cup and his best was sixth place on Brave Tornado in the Triumph Hurdle . The middle Wednesday he was riding at Nottingham — a track that does not have a jumps course any more — where he rode a winner . That first experience of the Festival probably taught the young McCoy that Cheltenham is great when you are successful but miserable when it goes wrong . Losing can tear you apart . It is a feeling I know well and McCoy probably enjoyed that Nottingham winner far more than merely being able to play a bit part at the Festival . Just taking part has never been enough for him . There have been times when his pain has been plain for all to see . He got plenty of stick for not smiling even when he won , never mind when he lost . There have been agonising defeats and seasons when his lack of big race Festival ammunition has been tough to take . The fatal injuries to Gloria Victis in the 2000 Gold Cup and Valiramix in the 2002 Champion Hurdle deeply affected him . Jump jockey McCoy has always been a fans ' favourite at Cheltenham . As he has got older , he has become better equipped to cope with the Festival roller-coaster of emotions . There will be plenty who point to the tally of 41 Festival wins for Ruby Walsh — a total fuelled by his alliance with Irish powerhouse trainer Willie Mullins and his former tie-up with British champion trainer Paul Nicholls — and ask what the McCoy fuss is all about ? Who is the better jockey ? Who has the best technique ? These are subjective assessments which will never be finally settled . I can not tell you McCoy has some peerless faultless technique others can only dream of . But I can write of the single-minded drive the like of which I have never known . The bloody-minded determination that can make the impossible possible , just as he did when lifting home Wichita Lineman to win on the opening day in 2009 . There is the massive physical strength and resilience to inevitable injury . And I can tell you of the unparalleled professionalism he brings to every ride , an unmatched ability to get off a horse and accurately assess its ability and future career direction as well as his encyclopaedic knowledge of rivals ’ strengths and weaknesses . Over the next four days , the chances are Walsh will ride more winners than McCoy , who is 10-1 to be top jockey at the meeting . But AP will view those odds as a challenge . He has sound claims in today ’ s Champion Hurdle on title holder Jezki , a clutch of handicap possibilities and a strong chance with Hargam in Friday ’ s Triumph Hurdle . Later that day , Carlingford Lough will be his mount to win a third Gold Cup . The Irish Hennessy Gold Cup winner , who runs in the colours of his boss , owner JP McManus , and is trained by John Kiely , has solid claims in an open year . Victory would be a fairytale ending for both AP and the sport . And you would not bet against it . You never bet against AP .
Jockey AP McCoy will appear Cheltenham Festival for the last time . The end of the season champion jump jockey to retire at Nineteen-time . The 40-year-old is arguably the best pound-for-pound sportsman around .