FORMER champion jump jockey A.P. McCoy has backed Aidan O’Brien to stay on as the master of Ballydoyle despite rumours of him considering retirement, but the former champion jockey also suggested the handler’s son Joseph could benefit from a change of career by handling National Hunt horses for top owner J.P. McManus. In his latest William Hill blog, McCoy said: “Joseph is a big lad and he’s quite keen on the training side of things. I think he will be very good at it. J.P. has got a number of horses with Aidan up on the hill [in Pilltown, Co. Kilkenny].

“If you were talking from a selfish point of view, I would be very happy if Joseph gave up riding and went and trained horses on the hill for JP.” This week a British tabloid reported that Joseph O’Brien would retire from race-riding at the end of the season to embark on a training career but the story appears to have been largely based on McCoy’s comments and J.P. McManus’ racing manager Frank Berry was quoted as saying he knew nothing about such plans.