King Richard’s crowning glory
IT HAS finally arrived. The day Richard Johnson must have feared would agonisingly pass him by. At Sandown this afternoon, the unassuming 38-year- old son of a Herefordshire farmer will be crowned champion jockey for the first time.
It will be an emotional moment for Johnson, who has three rides including top weight Sausalito Sunrise in the feature Bet365 Gold Cup, after finishing runnerup 16 times.
After so long taking the role of bridesmaid as the spotlight focused on his nemesis, 20-time champion Sir Anthony McCoy, Johnson will be a popular champion.
There were times when he seemed destined to join that painful list, which includes snooker genius Jimmy White and golfing great Colin Montgomerie — elite performers who never won the really big title they craved.
It will be a surprise if Johnson’s weighing-room colleagues don’t gather round to mark his success, just as they did when McCoy, the man who will hand him his trophy, retired on this day 12 months ago.
They know what today means to him. His reaction will be interesting.
Last year, McCoy’s retirement should have been a cause for Johnson to lead three cheers from the roof of the grandstand. Instead, he was caught on camera shedding more than three tears.
Johnson, who attended the same school, Belmont Abbey, as eighttime champion Peter Scudamore before joining late trainer David Nicholson aged 16, said: ‘We had known each other for 20 years. I saw him more than I saw my family.
‘Apparently, I should have been having a party and there were parts of me delighted that he wasn’t going to be there to beat me every day.
‘But AP was great to ride against. He was strong and fair. Everything that a good sportsman should be — a true champion. When you rode against him it was enjoyable as well as tough.’
The words could also be used for Johnson. What he has achieved during the 2015-16 season makes one wonder what he might have done in an AP-free world.
He may not have the same brooding intensity as McCoy but he is just as driven. Johnson became the second jump jockey to pass 3,000 wins during the campaign and his seasonal numbers reinforce the feeling that he could also have become a racing icon, a beacon on the British sporting landscape.
His 1,037 rides are more than McCoy ever managed and his 233 wins was bettered only four times by his great rival.
‘Without AP there have been a few more opportunities,’ Johnson said. ‘It’s been different being in front rather than chasing but you can never rest on your laurels.’
This season, for the first time, Johnson employed a driver to take the strain of the six hours he spends in the car each day and the 2,000 miles he travels each week. But, he insists, he approached the season exactly as when banging his head against the brick wall that was McCoy.
‘I’d be disappointed if people thought I tried harder this season. I have always set out to ride as many winners as possible.’ Johnson has been well supported from day one of the season. Longtime boss Philip Hobbs has again been his anchor but many others provided potent ammunition.
McCoy’s old boss, Jonjo O’Neill, supplier of one winner last season, served up 29 this time.
They were needed. Johnson started the campaign with a clutch of younger rivals nipping at his heels. He ends it was massive 103-winner lead — another statistic of McCoy proportions — over runner-up Aidan Coleman.
Johnson, who will be accompanied by wife Fiona and children Willow, Casper and Percy for the presentation at Sandown today, said: ‘ It will be the proudest moment of my career to receive the trophy. It’s always been my dream. It has just taken me a long time to get there.’
The longest journeys often have the happiest endings.