Tony McCoy wins Ryanair Chase aboard Uxizandre

Tony McCoy ensured he would not leave his final Cheltenham Festival empty handed when Uxizandre led from pillar to post in the Ryanair Chase.

McCoy did not seem to fancy his chances much pre-race, but Alan King's seven-year-old put in some spectacular leaps on the way round.

He built up a sizeable advantage before McCoy gave him a breather coming down the hill and the challengers stacked up.

Last year's runner-up Hidden Cyclone, the favourite Don Cossack, Eduard and Johns Spirit had chances, but Nicky Henderson's mare Ma Filleule looked the biggest danger.

McCoy had saved plenty, though, and Uxizandre (16-1) kept up the gallop to win by five lengths.

Don Cossack was three and a quarter lengths behind Ma Filleule in third.

McCoy said: "I would love to say it's a relief, but I actually got such a thrill riding him. I was actually thinking I wouldn't mind riding the horse in next year's Champion Chase.

"He ran away with me for a mile and a half and I thought he would never keep it up, but I was quite happy coming down the hill, he kept looking at the television camera on his inside and I thought he had saved a bit for himself."

He added: "It's going to affect me more next year than this year, because I am still riding. This time next year I am going to miss it - I am missing it already and I haven't stopped yet.

"He stuck at it well and it's days like this I am going to miss."

McCoy's wife Chanelle said: "This is going to mean the world to him. When he got up and was heading into day three he wanted one more time to ride a winner at Cheltenham, to soak up the atmosphere and not finish his career without one more winner.

"He wanted that feeling one more time.

"He's not the most animated at the best of times, but this will absolutely mean the world to him."

McCoy's family were waiting in the winner's enclosure and while simultaneously thrilled and emotional after the rider's win, his father, Peadar said: "I hope he gets another one!"

King said: "He's always been a very good horse but we just lost him a little bit in mid-winter on the heavy ground.

"We hoped that back up to two and a half miles on better ground was the key and my goodness he can go some pace.

"It's huge for the whole team and I'm delighted to part of the whole AP thing as well. The horses have been running well all week, but there's nothing like a winner here.

"It's the only way to ride him, to let him bowl along and we wanted to see if he was a Queen Mother horse earlier in the season.

"To be fair, AP said at halfway he was wishing he'd run in the Queen Mother as he didn't think he'd last home but it was only last year he was narrowly beaten here in the JLT and then won a Grade One at Aintree.

"Spring ground helps and some of his jumps today were breathtaking.

"We'll not see AP's like again, the winners, the dedication - I'm just delighted to have played a small part in it."

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