Richard Johnson

jinnyj

jinnyj

Senior Jockey
Joined
Jan 8, 2004
Messages
4,701
Announced today he’s retiring. Had McCoy not been around, I wonder how many championships he would have won. Glad that he goes out in one piece.
 
Indeed jinny.
When he came to ride La Bague a Roi at Leopardstown festival a few years ago he looked and walked like a man in his mid twenties.
That he put Adrian Maguire on the subs bench at Jackdaws Castle at the peak of his career says it all about his ability.
Happy retirement to him.
 
21,145 rides
3,824 wins
43 Grade 1’s
23 Cheltenham Festival wins
4 Champion Jockey titles

Not too shabby

Was it DO? :lol:
 
I think he will be much missed. Quite and unassuming, he bowed out with zero fanfare. I wonder who will replace him at Hobbs’
 
Nice that he seems to have ridden Brother Tedd in most of his races and has won on him several times. Wonder who owns him? I’d like to think that they’ll be retiring together.
 
I don’t think I’ve ever seen the type of comments his announcement has generated from his peers. Plenty of acknowledgment to his ability but a huge amount towards him as a person.

Never met him but he has always come across as a top bloke and I am so happy he’s got out with his health intact and wish him and his family all the very best and thank him for plenty of great and genuine rides over the years.
 
You have to wonder about the timing.

0 expected wins at Aintree?

Nothing lined up for Ayr?

The Whitbread and/or the Whitbread meeting?

The guy is a fanny of a jockey and racing will be better without him. Punters will be better off too.

I've no idea what he's like as a bloke but anyone who hauls Princess Anne out if his car and leaves her to get home herself is alright by me :)
 
barjon said:
Wonder how long Hobbs will go on. He’s had a pretty rotten season.
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I cant see him retiring yet? One of his daughters helps out in the yard so I imagine she may well take over one day but I would be surprised if it’s now.
Apart from DO, Ive not heard many say a bad word about Richard. My mother knew him from Pony Club days and said he was one of the nicest, most polite kids you could have met.
 
Think you’re being a bit harsh there DO

There have been many, many worse jockeys than him and as much as I respect your opinion on many things, when it comes to ability as a jockey, I’d take McCoy’s over it.
 
moe said:
Nice that he seems to have ridden Brother Tedd in most of his races and has won on him several times. Wonder who owns him? I’d like to think that they’ll be retiring together.
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He rode him to win when McCoy retired.(APs last race)
 
Desert Orchid said:
You have to wonder about the timing.

0 expected wins at Aintree?

Nothing lined up for Ayr?

The Whitbread and/or the Whitbread meeting?

The guy is a fanny of a jockey and racing will be better without him. Punters will be better off too.

I've no idea what he's like as a bloke but anyone who hauls Princess Anne out if his car and leaves her to get home herself is alright by me :)
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Not really, it’s been coming all season since he stopped chasing for the championship - he’s only had 515 rides compared to the 793 for Hughes.
 
Desert Orchid said:
You have to wonder about the timing.

0 expected wins at Aintree?

Nothing lined up for Ayr?

The Whitbread and/or the Whitbread meeting?

The guy is a fanny of a jockey and racing will be better without him. Punters will be better off too.

I've no idea what he's like as a bloke but anyone who hauls Princess Anne out if his car and leaves her to get home herself is alright by me :)
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I think that’s very disrespectful to be honest DO. Whatever your opinion of the man as a jockey, and of course you’re entitled to that, you could have at least acknowledged the mans career and achievements and the fact he was happy enough to get out after such a long career in one piece. He must have hurt your pocket more than once.

I’m sure he’s reflected and now gets more involved in the breeding side of things.

Enjoy your retirement Richard and finally getting to spend some, well deserved, time with your family.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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an capall said:
Can you tell us that Princess Anne story?
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The brother told us it on the phone just last week. Until then I'd never heard it. I don't know the exact details.

It was something along the lines of when they were dating she was being obnoxious so he stopped the car, pulled her out and drove away and left her. I might try googling the story. It's not the kind of thing the brother would make up. He seemed to think I would have known all about it, being such a fan of the guy :)

I won't deny the guy his titles or the titles he could have won during the McCoy years. I don't deny he gave some horses great rides (Rooster Booster in the Champion Hurdle, Balthazaar King, etc) but I just saw him get it wrong too often for my liking.

I never took to McCoy as a jockey either. And I never took to Piggott either, for that matter.

To be honest, I don't take to many jockeys.

Any comment I make about the likes of Johnston aren't meant to be disrespectful or anything like that. It's just a personal opinion.

I hold similarly strong opinions about certain footballers that most people seem to think are brilliant.

Usually the more strongly I express the opinion the less seriously I expect to be taken.
 
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I’ve been mildly critical of Richard Johnson jockeyship over the years (he became too cautious at the business-end later in his career, is the best way I can summarise it), but what’s always been clear to me, is how hard-working and professional he was.

Reputationally, he was always admired by both Owners and Trainers for the feedback he gave, and it seems from the eulogies emanting from the weighing-room, the encouragement he offered to young jockeys was very well received, and it seems he was an all-round thoroughly good bloke - which probably makes him a rare thing on the racecourse and in life.

I’m glad he has got out in one piece. He has certainly earned his retirement.

PS. I sincerely hope DO’s getting his royals mixed-up, and he’s referring to Zara Philips. I know they say Dickie Johnson would ‘go anywhere for a ride’, but surely Princess Anne is a bridge too far?
 
Desert Orchid said:
You have to wonder about the timing.

0 expected wins at Aintree?

Nothing lined up for Ayr?

The Whitbread and/or the Whitbread meeting?

The guy is a fanny of a jockey and racing will be better without him. Punters will be better off too.

I've no idea what he's like as a bloke but anyone who hauls Princess Anne out if his car and leaves her to get home herself is alright by me :)
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It goes without saying that your opinions are respected and the board wouldn’t be the same without your input, DO. But you’re bang out of order calling a 4-time champion jockey and dual-GC winner a fanny; the sport isn’t better off without him either. That really is an unnecessarily spiteful swipe at a good man, by someone who’s probably venting his opinion via his pocket.
 
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