logo

Muhammad Ali always said he was 'The Greatest'

Posted by admin   ·     ·   Jump to comments

Muhammad Ali always said he was 'The Greatest'. Tonight the British public agreed by naming him BBC Sports Personality of the Century Muhammad Ali always said he was 'The Greatest'. Tonight the British public agreed by naming him BBC Sports Personality of the Century. Ali, who won more votes than the other four candidates together, collected his award at a star-studded gala occasion in London. The finest sporting heroes in Britain gazed in awe as Ali stood at the centre of the studio, boxing stars past and present having paid their own tributes to the man they unanimously called their mentor. Parkinson's disease has stripped Ali of much of his speech and movement but he remains an irresistible icon to all. And it was an emotional sight as Ali clasped the award and proved he had lost none of his legendary charm and wit. But King is looking no further ahead than this morning's inspection of the gallant gelding's legs..

After the I-was-there McCoy landmark, the feature steeplechase, the Tripleprint Gold Cup, went to Legal Right, trained by one of the iron jockeys of a former era, Jonjo O'Neill. The Irishman, whose long-held record score of 149 winners in a season was once regarded as unsurpassable, had his finest moment as a jockey here on Dawn Run in the 1986 Gold Cup. His handling of Legal Right, who turned a competitive handicap chase into a procession with his 22-length streak away from Nordance Prince up the hill, deserves the highest praise, as the six-year-old is sound less often than not. The same could be said, with monstrous understatement, of the hurdler Relkeel, who defied his 10 years and an injury list that would shame the Highbury dressing room to take the Bula Hurdle for the third successive year from Far Cry. The grey, who gave David Nicholson's successor, Alan King, his first Cheltenham winner was given a welcome to match McCoy's, is now 16-1 for the Champion Hurdle here in March. "They're the people who keep this sport going, the racegoers and the punters," he said, "and if they get disappointed if I don't ride a winner, they're not half as disappointed as I am." Those hardy souls who braved a damp, raw winter afternoon were treated to a succession of emotional highs. Tony knows exactly what he's been sitting on and can give me facts ­ he does a written report after each day's racing ­ which is what I need. "He rode a horse to win earlier in the season and afterwards said it would never win again.

So I put it in a claimer, got rid of it, a horse like that is no use to the yard or the owners. And he was right, it hasn't won, or looked like winning, since." McCoy was visibly moved by the reception from the crowd. He has belief in himself and gives himself 100 per cent to his job, doesn't drink, doesn't even eat sometimes. "And it is not just on the racecourse that we value him. What the public see is only half of it; watching him school a young horse is an unbelievable sight, the confidence he can send down the reins And the feedback I get from him is a fantastic asset. Once a race is over, it's over, and the next one is more important. The Ulsterman is the darling of the punters, but sometimes, because of his powerful, persuasive, but unconventional style, he seems a man the authorities like to mark. Pipe was perfectly happy to list McCoy's good points, which are legion. "He has everything," he said, "he's dedicated, determined, he is superb at presenting a horse at a fence, he keeps them balanced, his judgement of pace is faultless.

readers comments

Comments are closed.

NBA

NBA

MLB

MLB

NFL

NFL

NHL

NHL

WWE

WWE

Your sideblock text goes here