Broken arm a major blow for Johnson title hopes
Exeter tumble set to cost champion his crown Rider in race against time for Cheltenham
Richard Johnson’s chances of a fifth jump jockeys’ championship took a severe blow yesterday when he broke his right arm after being unseated in a novice chase at Exeter.
He can expect to be out for at least six weeks but, last night, was upbeat about being back in time for the Cheltenham Festival, which begins on March 10.
“He has broken his right arm just below the elbow and Dr Jerry Hill [BHA chief medical officer] has arranged for him to have an operation tomorrow or Thursday,” said trainer Philip Hobbs.
“He was quite positive and says he will be back for Cheltenham but I guess it does not do his championship aspirations much good.”
Johnson, runner-up 16 times to Sir Anthony Mccoy, has won all four titles with relative ease since Mccoy’s retirement but this season he has been engaged in a ding-dong battle with north-based rider Brian Hughes.
However, on Monday Johnson had fallen three behind his rival when Hughes rode a treble at Newcastle to his blank at the same course. With Hughes taking yesterday off, the score remains 114-111.
Yesterday, Johnson was riding Westend Story, for Hobbs, when the nine-year-old ballooned the sixth and skewed over it, giving the jockey no chance of staying in the saddle.
Although there were only four runners when Johnson landed, he was in the path of Fox Pro, who could not avoid clipping him. The jockey remained on the ground for several minutes clutching his arm before gingerly walking to the ambulance. Clearly sore, he was subsequently taken to Exeter General Hospital for X-rays.
Johnson, 42, who broke a leg twice early in his career, has had a pretty good run of it with injury in recent years.
He has had the occasional day off here and there and carries a hip injury, the result of wear and tear over the years, which he manages with pilates.
Of course this is jump racing. There are 3½ months of the season left and Hughes will know as well as anyone that, with Sam Twistondavies on 86 winners and riding with rediscovered confidence, if he is to become the first north-based jump jockey to be crowned Champion since Jonjo O’neill, 40 years ago, he must stay injury free.