 Johnson: Runner-up to McCoy for past five seasons |
Last year, in the same week that Tony McCoy rode into the record books as the most successful jump jockey in history, Richard Johnson broke his leg for the second time in 10 months. Injury and the overbearing shadow of McCoy have been recurring themes in Johnson's career.
One of the most talented riders in the weighing room, Johnson has never been crowned champion jockey, instead finishing runner-up to McCoy for the last five seasons.
The Irishman even managed to muscle in on what should have been Johnson's moment of glory at Exeter earlier this week.
Johnson beat McCoy in a bumper to register what would have been his 1,000th winner, only for the stewards to overturn the result and reverse the placings.
But given that Johnson has been sidelined for considerable periods of time in the past couple of years, the mere fact that he is McCoy's main challenger is an impressive achievement.
This season, for example, despite the leg break which resulted in almost three months out of action, Johnson bounced back and is on course for over 150 winners and another second-place finish.
The Hereford-born rider is one of the few English riders at the top of a sport dominated by Irishmen.
He comes from a farming and racing background (his mother is a permit-holder) and he went to the same school as multiple champion jockey Peter Scudamore.
Johnson joined David Nicholson's yard as an apprentice at the age of 16 and his first winner, trained by his grandfather, followed not long after.
His calm and confident race-riding style soon got him noticed and he became the youngest jump jockey to ride more than 100 winners in a season.
RICHARD JOHNSON'S CAREER Date of birth: 21 July 1977 Place of birth: Hereford Main trainers: Philip Hobbs, Henry Daly and Alan King First winner: Rusty Bridge at Hereford (30/04/94) Big wins:
Gold Cup 2000
(Looks Like Trouble)
Champion Chase 2002
(Flagship Uberalles)
Champion Hurdle 2003
(Rooster Booster) 2001-2002 wins: 132 2000-2001 wins: 162 1999-2000 wins: 142 |
And just eight years after turning professional, he has landed his 1,000th winner, becoming one of only eight jump jockeys to have entered four figures of winners.
Johnson rides for several successful trainers, including Phillip Hobbs and has been the only jockey to remotely threaten McCoy's stranglehold on the title.
But with the Irishman backed by the prolific Martin Pipe, the odds on Johnson becoming champion while McCoy is around are long.
Yet Johnson's record in the big meetings is arguably more impressive than McCoy's.
He was the leading jockey at the Cheltenham Festival last season and rode four winners there this year.
They included a Champion Hurdle victory on Rooster Booster which meant Johnson had won all three major events at National Hunt's blue riband event.
Johnson has certainly come closer to winning the Grand National than his arch-rival.
In 2002, he led on What's Up Boys coming to the Elbow at Aintree but had to settle for second place behind Bindaree. And in the celebrity stakes Johnson beats McCoy hands down, his relationship with Zara Phillips earning him much attention from the tabloids.
A photo of her congratulatory kiss after his victory on Rooster Booster at Cheltenham dominated the front page of The Sun, Britain's biggest selling daily newspaper.
But in passing the 1,000-winner mark, Johnson has his moment in the sun all to himself.
MMIX
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