Richard Johnson has finished runner-up in the Champion Jump Jockey table 16 times – but now he is poised to collect the trophy for the first time.
New champion
Richard is the second most successful jump jockey of all time behind Sir Anthony (AP) McCoy, who won an incredible 20 championship titles in a row.
With AP retiring exactly a year ago, Richard has clocked up the most wins this season. He notched up more than 200 winners in a season for the first time and is 100 victories clear of Aidan Coleman, who is second in the table.
A special video has been released to mark Richard’s achievements. Voiced by McCoy, the video is set to the famous speech ‘The Man In The Arena’ by former US President, Theodore Roosevelt.
Passing the baton
AP will present a newly-designed trophy to Richard this Saturday at Sandown Park.
“I couldn’t be happier with who I’m presenting the Stobart Champion Jump Jockey trophy to at Sandown this weekend,” he said.
“Richard is somebody who made me achieve what I achieved for so long and I think it’s thoroughly deserved for his hard work and dedication over the last 20 years. I couldn’t think of anybody more deserving than Richard.”
Video produced by Great British Racing. Race footage courtesy ofRacing UK.