Gillespie was amongst 12,000 people at the event at Birmingham's LG Arena

Cheltenham managing director Edward Gillespie has welcomed AP McCoy winning BBC Sports Personality of the Year.

The December Gold Cup at Cheltenham was re-named the Vote AP Gold Cup as racing campaigned on the jockey's behalf.

Gillespie told BBC Gloucestershire: "It means people have an appetite for the sort of sports people that we produce.

"I'm thrilled for Tony, his family, JP [McManus] and for Jonjo [O'Neill] who produced not only Don't Push It, but most of his rides last season."

McCoy, who has ridden more than 3,000 winners, is the first jockey to win the award and did so in convincing fashion polling virtually 42% of the total number of votes cast for the shortlist of 10.

It crowns a magnificent year for the 35-year-old Northern Irishman in which he won the Grand National for the first time at the 15th attempt and became champion jump jockey for the 15th year in a row.

Let's see if we can further build on the fact that people do know some of our sport's personalities Edward Gillespie

Gillespie, who is part of the Racing for Change group that is trying to boost the sport's profile, added: "He won the Grand National this year and that is the one horse race that everybody has heard about, it's the one recognition that we get in our sport beyond the serious stuff.

"Let's now see if we can further build on the fact that people do know some of our sport's personalities because we've said for so long that we need our heroes to be higher profile.

"When you see them out on the track they're wearing a helmet - perhaps you wouldn't recognise them in the supermarket - this is our real big chance."

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