AP McCoy Wins BBC Sports Personality of Year

Northern Irish horse racing jockey AP McCoy has been named BBC Sports Personality of the Year, costing British bookmaker William Hill a six-figure sum.

2010 Sports Personality of Year

According to William Hill, the biggest bet taken on McCoy was for £7000 when he was priced at even money. The champion jockey, who has ridden more than 3,000 winners in a career spanning almost two decades, was priced at 1/4 by the time of the award on Sunday morning.

"McCoy has made a habit of costing us money over the years. However, we are more than happy to let him off this once as the award was fully deserved," a William Hill spokesman said.

Next: 2011 Sports Personality

The bookmaker has now released odds for the 2011 BBC Sports Personality of the Year, and WBA heavyweight champion David Haye is the early favorite, ahead of tennis star Andy Murray and formula one driver Lewis Hamilton.

With no major football tournament or Olympics in the summer of 2011, the bookmaker is predicting that someone else will have to step up to the plate.

William Hill's odds for 2011 Sports Personality of the Year:

- David Haye, 5/1, Andy Murray, Lewis Hamilton, 6/1, Lee Westwood, 10/1, Amir Khan, 12/1, Rory McIlroy, 16/1, Paul Casey, 20/1, Graeme McDowell, Ian Poulter, Justin Rose, Wayne Rooney, Jenson Button, 25/1, all others 33/1 and over.