Nineteen-time champion jockey Tony McCoy could be just a day away from retirement as he plans to end his racing career if he claims a second Grand National win at Aintree tomorrow.
The Northern Irishman announced his intention to make this his final season in the saddle earlier this year, 23 years after securing his first professional win.
Here, Sports Mole looks back at his record-breaking career.
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The 17-year-old McCoy first rode into the winners' enclosure on Legal Steps at Thurles in 1992 while working as an apprentice for Jim Bolger.
Because of his height, McCoy switched his focus to jumps, and secured his first win in England two years later, picking up victory on Chickabiddy at Exeter to earn him a position as a conditional jockey for Toby Balding, which led him to the Conditional Jump Jockeys Title in 1995.
At the 1997 Cheltenham meeting, McCoy was picked to ride outsider Mr Mulligan, who had been struggling with inconsistent performances and injuries after falling while being ridden by the Northern Irishman in the King George VI Chase on Boxing Day the year before.
Despite coming up against a strong field, Mr Mulligan upset the odds, moving to the front of the field early on while surviving a stumble at the fourth fence before the finish line to win by nine clear lengths.
McCoy continued to be a dominant force in racing, setting a new record for National Hunt winners before becoming the fastest jockey to post 100 race wins in a single season in 2001.
However, one win continued to elude McCoy throughout the 2000s as he repeatedly missed out at the Grand National, suffering a string of third-place finishes and falls in his first 14 entries into the biggest race on the horse racing calendar.
In 2010, he lined up on the joint-favourite, the JP McManus-owned Don't Push It, with the ominous prospect of equalling Jeff King's record for most Grand National entries without a victory.
However, the the nine-year-old gelding partnered McCoy to the win, finishing five lengths ahead of Black Apalachi, finally ending the jockey's wait for victory in the main event at Aintree.
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As McCoy continued to rack up the wins on the jumps calendar, and had a chance to complete a rare double in 2012 when he picked up his second Gold Cup win on board Synchronised, with whom he was partnered again for the Grand National.
Sadly, McCoy was unable to match the success of 2010 with Synchronised, as the horse unseated the jockey at Becher's Brook before suffering a fatal leg injury after continuing without a rider.
Injuries have been a problem for McCoy too in the last couple of years as he missed the start of the National Hunt season in 2013 because of a heavy fall at Cheltenham which left him with broken ribs and a week-long stay in hospital.
He recovered well though, soon passing the 100-win mark for the season and securing his 4,000th career win on Mountain Tunes in the Weatherbys Novice Hurdle at Towcester in November, edging past Jamie Moore on board Kris Spin on the line, before claiming win number 4,022 a couple of weeks later, giving him more jump wins than any other jockey.
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McCoy's winning streak showed no sign of slowing as he headed into the current National Hunt season, picking up his 200th win of the campaign with Mr Mole, but it was after this victory that the 40-year-old revealed that it will be the last time he reaches such a milestone.
McCoy will be riding Shutthefrontdoor during his 20th Grand National, which will give him another record for more entries into the race than any other rider as he is currently tied with Tom Oliver on 19 rides.
Should he win the race for the second time, it has been estimated that bookmakers will lose around £50m, although he is expected to face stiff competition from the likes of Rocky Creek and Balthazar King, who are also hotly tipped.
Sian Cowper
