Richard Johnson (jockey)

Richard Johnson on Noble Request at the 2006 Fighting Fifth Hurdle

Richard Johnson (born 21 July 1977 in Hereford) is an English National Hunt jockey.

Background

Johnson comes from a racing family with his father being an amateur jockey and his mother, Sue Johnson, a successful trainer.

Jockey career

Johnson became Champion Conditional Jockey in the 1995/96 season, at the age of 18.

Johnson's first winner under rules was on Rusty Bridge at Hereford in April 1994.

He has had great success at the Cheltenham Festival. His first win at Cheltenham was on Anzum in the 1999 Stayers' Hurdle. He won the 2000 Tote Cheltenham Gold Cup with Looks Like Trouble and the 2002 Queen Mother Champion Chase with Flagship Uberalles. Johnson was top jockey at the 2002 Cheltenham Festival with 2 wins. Johnson was also victorious in the 2003 Champion Hurdle with the Philip Hobbs-trained Rooster Booster on which he also came 2nd in 2004. He is one of only three jockeys riding today, the other beings Barry Geraghty and Ruby Walsh, to have won all four of those championship races at Cheltenham. He won the 2018 running of the Cheltenham Gold Cup on Native River for trainer Colin Tizzard.

A major influence on Johnson’s racing career was "The Duke" – David Nicholson who supported him in his bid to become a professional jockey.

In 2003, Johnson became the eighth National Hunt jockey to ride 1,000 winners in Britain on Quedex at Stratford.[1] He recorded his 2,000th career winner aboard Fighting Chance at Newbury on 16 December 2009. The 3,000th winner came on board St. Saviour at Ludlow on 4 January 2016.[2]

Having been runner up to Tony McCoy on 16 occasions in the Champion Jockey title, he was finally crowned champion for the first time in 2016.[3] In 2017 he was Champion Jockey for the second time. In the 2016/17 season Johnson rode a century of winners for the 21st consecutive time.[4]

Grand National Record

He has ridden in the Grand National 20 times which is a joint record. He also has the record for most rides without a winner.

Grand National
YearMountFinish
1997Celtic AbbeyUnseated rider
1998BanjoFell
1999BaronetFell
2000Star TravellerPulled up
2001EdmondFell
2002What's Up Boys2nd
2003Behrajan10th
2004What's Up BoysBrought down
2005JakariPulled up
2006TherealbanditPulled up
2007MonkerhostinRefused
2008TurkoFell
2009Parson's LegacyFell
2010Tricky Trickster9th
2011QuinzPulled up
2012Planet of Sound12th
2013Balthazar King15th
2014Balthazar King2nd
2015Balthazar KingFell
2016KruzhilinPulled up

Personal life

For five years Johnson lived with the Queen's granddaughter Zara Phillips, a relationship that created a great deal of media interest. The couple split in 2003.

References

  1. ↑ Johnson rides 1,000th winner BBC Sport
  2. ↑ "Richard Johnson 3,000 winners". Independent. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
  3. ↑ Joe Wilson. "Richard Johnson is finally crowned champion jockey - BBC Sport". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
  4. ↑ "Richard Johnson: Champion Jump Jockey Salutes Predecessor AP McCoy's Dedication". BBC Sport. Retrieved 15 June 2017.
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