AP McCoy knighted in Queen's list

Champion jump jockey AP McCoy has been knighted and football administrator Heather Rabbatts made a dame by the Queen in the New Year Honours List. Ex-footballers Denis Law and Francis Lee are made CBEs, along with former F1 and motorcycling champion John Surtees. Broadcaster Sue Barker becomes an OBE, as do Ronnie O'Sullivan, Chris Froome and Chrissie Wellington. There are MBEs for Carl Frampton, Mark Cueto, Tracey Neville, Jacqui Oatley, Steph Houghton and Fara Williams. Ap McCoy Knight rider McCoy, 41, rode more than 4,300 winners in his career and is only the second jockey, after Gordon Richards in 1953, to become a Sir. Champion jockey 20 years running, for every year he was a professional, McCoy was given the BBC Lifetime Achievement Award earlier this month. He described his knighthood as "surreal". "I never thought anything like this would be bestowed upon me," said the Northern Irishman. "You can't be recognised in any higher way. "For the number of years I was competing, I always tried to be as successful as I could, but this honour has as much to do with the people who helped me on the way as it does with myself."