ENGLISH TEXTS media center at Ascot racecourse for this interview , AP had already ridden out two lots at home before driving to the races to represent his long-time ally JP Mcmanus for their runner Corbett ’ s Cross in the Ascot Grade 1 Chase where he finished 2 nd . He ’ s not dejected but there is a sense that even after 10 years of retirement from the saddle , there is still an eagerness that wishes he was still the one donning the famous green and gold silks . A quick catch up on how his kids are doing to which he sullenly says , “ they continue to be expensive ”. Eve is out in Belgium with four horses show jumping , it shows the apple hasn ’ t fallen far from the tree in terms of talent and ability when it comes to riding . With Eve turning 16 this year I ask him what it was like for him rocking up to Jim Bolger ’ s at the same age ,” it was one of those places where you went to learn , and learn you did . He trained a lot of good horses both flat and jump and had very good staff . Aiden O ’ Brien was assistant , David Wachman was there , Christy roch , Kevin Manning , Seamus Heffernan and Paul Carberry . They could all ride and I mean really ride and they let you know if you did something wrong . It was a little bit like the military , but you certainly came away from there full of knowledge ”.
A Fate Sealed in Hurdles Jim gave him his first ride as an apprentice on the flat and that ’ s where he hoped his future lay but after suffering a broken leg on the gallops , he came back to find his weight had risen , leaving him no choice but to turn his eye towards national hunt racing . His recollection of his former work colleagues brings a smile to his face , a list of successful people that he learnt from and worked with that would better any current list of employees . But there is no time to dwell on that as he flows into the next stage of his career . “ I moved then to the UK in 1994 to go and work for Toby Balding who has trained Gold Cup winners and Grand National winners . It was a family that was very steeped in racing , but Toby was just a great man , a real people person that just had a great way about him . He was obviously an exceptional trainer , but he could also communicate with the people around him and that has really stuck with me . He taught me a lot about being able to sell yourself properly and how important it was to be able to talk to people and make them want you again .” With a job now in the media you can see that he really reflects on how important those two years were for him and how they shaped him into the man he is today , allowing him to deal with life after riding . “ I was champion conditional with toby during my two years with him and broke Adrien Maguire ’ s record for the number of winners in a season with 74 winners and had a brilliant time . I was also riding for Paul Nicholls and Phillip Hobbs too during the 1995 / 96 season , but it just so happened , David Bridgewater left Martin Pipe which is how I ended up first jockey for him and rode for him for 7 years .”
Journey to the Top This move continued AP ’ s rise to the top , leading him to be crowned champion jockey in his first season . Their partnership started a dominance in the sport that lasted 20 years . His team up with Martin allowed AP to start entering himself into the record books . By the end of the decade he had set a new National Hunt record for winners in a season at 253 , equaled the record of 5 winners at the 1998 Cheltenham Festival and became the fastest jockey to ride 100 winners in a season in 2001 . “ Martin was just different , there is no other way to describe him , a genius who was just different in every way . He was a machine when it came to everything and knew the importance of winning and we both believe sport is all about winning and not just the taking part . He was all about finding ways to win , new ways to win and finding ways to improve with a discipline that was unmatched . He would detail everything , everything was written down , recorded , no guessing was involved , and this is what made him so far ahead of the game . I still think if he
181