CHAMPION jump jockey AP McCoy is in 'high spirits' despite just emerging from hospital nursing four broken ribs.
AP, also known as Tony, was injured in a fall at Cheltenham on April 18 and was allowed home from Gloucestershire Royal Hospital on Thursday after a week-long stay.
Despite his injuries, the 38-year-old was riding high on Saturday when he was crowned champion jockey for the 18th successive year.
But his return to the track could take up to a month, his personal assistant Gee Bradburne has admitted.
"He's getting better," she said. "But he's resting those ribs at the moment.
"He has been well looked after at the hospital. He needs to see how long it takes, we just don't know.
"Ribs can be painful old things and you've got to be at your best before you return.
"Last time he broke seven ribs and he was off for 26 days. Despite the injury, being crowned for the 18th time he's in high spirits."
The Northern Irish star, number one jockey at Jonjo O'Neill's stable in Temple Guiting, is no stranger to injuries. Having competed in 13,000 races, clocking up a whopping 31,000 miles, or enough to go around the world 1.25 times, that record comes with a few nasty scrapes.
He has broken or dislocated almost every body in his body.
The 2010 BBC Sports Personality of the Year previously revealed X-rays which showed that much of his back is held together with metal plates.
The 5ft 10ins rider, widely regarded as the best jump jockey of all time, won the Grand National in 2010 aboard the Jonjo O'Neill trained Don't Push It. In 2012, he won his second Cheltenham Gold Cup, 15 years after his first.
His first win in his career came when he was just 17, back in 1992.
