Rich quits
JOHNSON RETIRES FROM SADDLE
RICHARD JOHNSON stunned the racing world as the four-time champion jump jockey retired with immediate effect after riding at Newton Abbot yesterday.
The popular rider’s shock announcement brought to an end a career that spanned more than a quarter of a century and yielded 3,824 successes – a total bettered only by Sir AP McCoy.
“That’s it for me,” said a tearful Johnson, 43, after dismounting from Brother Tedd, trained by his boss Philip Hobbs and the last of six winnerless mounts at the Devon course.
“I’ve had an amazing time but it’s the right time for me to stop now. It was particularly important to me to finish on one for Philip and Sarah who, like Henry Daly, have supported me for more than 20 years. I’ll never be able to articulate what their loyalty has meant to me.
“I have been so extraordinarily lucky to have ridden so many wonderful horses, and for so many incredible trainers and owners.
“I love doing it and it’s something that’s given me so much pleasure for a long time.
“I’ve achieved an awful lot more than I’ve ever dreamt of.”
Johnson joined David Nicholson’s stable at 16, and won the conditional jockeys’ title in 1995-96.
Twice a Cheltenham Gold Cup hero, aboard Looks Like Trouble – saddled by his future father-in-law Noel Chance – in
2000 and Native River in 2018, Johnson finished second to
20-time champion McCoy 16 times in the title race.
Following his friend and rival’s retirement in April 2015, Johnson received the crown at Sandown’s Jumps Finale a year later, topping the table a further three times before finishing second to
Brian
Hughes last season. “That day at Sandown was the best point of my career – and I’ve had lots of highs,” added Johnson (right) a 23-time Cheltenham Festival victor who was awarded the OBE in 2019.
In yesterday’s action, Themaxwecan highlighted a Mark Johnston four-timer at
Musselburgh when landing the valuable Betway Queen’s Cup.
The Middleham handler is currently in isolation, having travelled to Dubai to watch his Subjectivist turn the Dubai Gold Cup into a procession last week.
Ben Curtis relished his new link-up with Johnston by riding three of the four winners – along with Themaxwecan, Curtis won on The Gatekeeper and Naamoos. Franny Norton rode Johnston’s fourth winner on Eton College.