Say the words Tony McCoy and I actually can't think of a racecourse without him.
This is a man who has been the golden boy, the hero of my favourite sport for 20 seasons.
I was seven when the young, fresh faced Irishman rode his first UK winner and probably four years later you could say he was one of the reasons why I was hooked on the sport as I packed up my school bag for secondary education.
McCoy had joined forces with the dominant Martin Pipe, a thoroughly likeable partnership of never-say-die jockey and plucky trainer.
Small in stature Pipe was, but a giant when a valuable handicap chase or top hurdle was in the programme book.
The formidable pair used to dominate in races from the front at my local course Chepstow, one of the toughest courses in the country to execute such tactics.
Pipe was a training pioneer in his methods and so was McCoy in the saddle- his strength in a finish, pursuit for winners, enthusiasm for the sport and likeability has taken racing to new heights.
It's 16 years since McCoy and Potentate blitzed the Welsh Champion Hurdle field with a power-packed display of front-running and even now, their win remains one of my fondest racing memories.
McCoy was then in the early stages of what would become a complete domination of sport, something never seen before and which will never be seen again. He's not a Federer or a Ronaldo; he's the one no-one can match.
What is so likeable about McCoy is that he never makes much of a success. Even in glory he leaves you with the feeling he can always push himself harder, win more races and achieve greater things.
Even he would probably say there was a little room for improvement in his Queen Mother Champion Chase ride on the gallant Edredon Bleu, scraping home by a short-head in the 2000 renewal.
Did he go too soon? Was too much of the horse's energy used up early on? The answer is of course, no, but McCoy, in his quest for perfection, may have disagreed.
The smart pair of Flagship Uberalles and Direct Route closed him down and he had to be at his absolute strongest to get the eight-year-old over the line.
"Edredon Bleu will not surrender the lead lightly," said the commentator approaching the second last as his rivals gave chase. Willing horse, mighty rider.
At the final fence, the three were in a line and Direct Route nosed to the front, but the ironman forced his mount up for victory in one of the best ever finishes the Cheltenham Festival has ever seen.
Landmarks have come and gone, but while he is an incredibly talented horseman, they have not been achieved without sheer tenacity and grit.
When he overtook Dunwoody's all-time record total of 1,699 winners on Mighty Montefalco at Uttoxeter on August 27, 2002, to become the winning-most jump jockey in British history, everyone wondered how far the story could go.
It reached 4,000 winners by 2013. An OBE, a BBC Sports Personality of the Year trophy and a Grand National victory, after 15 attempts, were forthcoming.
The legend will have taken no greater pleasure in adding that tough test to his CV for his boss and friend JP McManus.
See those green and gold colours in a top race and underneath the hat is usually the chiselled features of the champ, a face that has taken many a knock over the years.
As we age, there comes a time when falling off at speeds in excess of 30 miles per hour does not seem so exhilarating.
McCoy's retirement decision left me open-mouthed, but cast your eye back and the signs were there it may have been about to happen.
A fall at Worcester in the autumn left him in and out of the saddle more times than he could have hoped in a bid for 300 winners this season and retirement thoughts would have become clearer on his three week holiday.
Broken bones become harder to mend with age and McCoy knew he could not keep on in his relentless fashion.
He turned down a ride on Jonjo O'Neill's horse Catching On earlier this week, saying the horse had put two riders in hospital at home. This is AP, the man who would never turn say no to a possible winner. Perhaps his advancing years have brought some realism with them, that he is not just a winning machine but a human being with a lovely young family.
McCoy wanted to retire at the top of his game and so he will when the curtain comes down on the National Hunt racing season. It will be tough for him to replace the sport that has kept him eager for half his life. I hope the time will come when he'll look back and take in every single one of his achievements. Racing is so much richer for knowing him.
A punter's pal, a weighing room friend to many and a true gentleman, it will not be the same without our 'AP' in the saddle.
