HENNESSY SWOOPS LATE FOR GOLD

Tony McCoy encapsulated why he was crowned champion jockey for the 14th consecutive season with yet another scarcely believable ride to win the bet365 Gold Cup at Sandown.

McCoy's effort to turn a lost cause into victory aboard Wichita Lineman at the Cheltenham Festival was regarded by most as the ride of the year but he achieved similar feats of alchemy with Hennessy on the final day of the jumps campaign.

Carl Llewellyn's gelding contracted in the betting to 13-2 in the minutes before the race but rarely appeared to be going well as Church Island bowled along in front.

He and 2006 winner Lacdoudal had it between them even after the turn for the second last, with Briery Fox and Hennessy well adrift, while McCoy was still 10 lengths down at the final fence.

Although Ruby Walsh has claimed many of the season's biggest prizes, McCoy made as many headlines by reaching a record-breaking 3,000 career winners over jumps in February and his inexhaustible determination shows no sign of waning as he approaches his 35th birthday.

Hennessy steadily bore into Lacdoudal and Briery Fox's advantage, heading the latter right on the post.

"My agent picked him out on Wednesday as one who was open to improvement and luckily Carl let me ride him," said McCoy.

"He was OK for a bit but he started to jump left, although he was pricking his ears a bit and I knew I hadn't got to the bottom of him.

"With a lazy horse you have to find a happy medium with how much you make them do and how much you leave to the end, but at the second last I knew he was going to stay on.

"Whether I was going to get there or not I wasn't sure, but I'm delighted for Carl as he's had a tough year and he's one of my best mates so it's great to ride a winner for him."

Llewellyn added: "I thought he (McCoy) was beaten with more than a circuit to go but luckily he had one of his good days - one of the 364 of them!

"At the second last I thought he had a chance, but the rest of the time he never really got going. The rest of us jockeys could win on the best horses, but he can win on the ones who aren't - and that's the test."

Thanks Hibby, just caught the last couple of jumps, that man McCoy is something else.