Speaking about the news that 20-time Champion Jump Jockey AP McCoy has been knighted in the Queen’s New Year Honours List, Nick Rust, Chief Executive of the British Horseracing Authority (BHA), said:

“We’ve been fortunate to have AP McCoy dominate Jump Racing for such a length of time and his knighthood is well deserved and long awaited. His character embodies all the qualities that make Jumping so exhilarating – determination, strength, desire, will to win – and he has been a marvellous ambassador for the sport.

“It was typical of AP to thank the horses and stable staff who care for them when he accepted his recent BBC Sports Personality of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award. No one is more aware than AP of the debt of gratitude we owe to those who work behind the scenes to ensure that the care that horses in British Racing receive is second to none.

“But today, our thanks go above all to AP, for all that he has done for the sport and the joy he has brought us all over the years. We may never see his like again.”