Racing - McCoy has Cartmel riders' prize in sights (From The Westmorland Gazette)

Racing - McCoy has Cartmel riders' prize in sights

8:59am Saturday 29th August 2009 in

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CHAMPION jockey Tony McCoy, who threw the race to be top rider at Cartmel wide open when he rode two winners at the July meeting, is aiming to repeat the dose on the opening day of this weekend’s August Bank Holiday meeting on Saturday.

McCoy’s two winners and a second on his first visit to Cartmel this season, amassed him eight points and left him on the heels of Keith Mercer (12 points) and Denis O’Regan (9) in the Cartmel Jockeys’ Championship.

The title will be decided this weekend, Cartmel’s final meeting of the year and McCoy’s agent Dave Roberts said: “Tony will definitely be riding at Cartmel on Saturday, though his rides have still to be finalised.

“It is a bit early to say about Monday, but if the rides are there, so will he.”

That news will certainly give competition leader Mercer something to think about as he finalises his plans for the weekend.

“I am not sure what I am doing just yet, though a few of the trainers I ride for are planning to have runners and I shall be very disappointed if I don’t have a few on both days,” said Mercer.

“It is great to be leading in the competition and it will give me extra incentive to hold on to the lead” he added.

O’Regan is also expecting to be in there battling for the title, saying: “My aim is to have winners every day, whether there is a title at stake or not, but it would be nice to win the competition as I had never ridden at Cartmel until this season”.

The competition was held for the first time last season when Richie McGrath rode two winners on the final day to pip Timmy Murphy to the prize, which is a long weekend for two at the luxurious Swan Hotel at Newby Bridge, sponsors of the Cartmel Jockeys Championship.

Racing is scheduled to get underway on Saturday at 2.10pm and on Bank Holiday Monday at 2.20pm.