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Magic Johnson: Five of the best rides

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Anzum winning Bonusprint Stayers Hurdle

Anzum: driven to an unlikely victory in the Stayers’ Hurdle

  PICTURE: Martin Lynch  

RICHARD JOHNSON steered Duke Des Champs to an effortless victory at Ascot on Saturday to reach 3,000 winners. He has had to produce some humdingers in his time though and Nick Pulford looks at some of the best rides he has produced . . .

Anzum 
Stayers’ Hurdle, Cheltenham, 1999
“Anzum driven for dear life,” said Simon Holt at the top of the hill, with still two to jump, a long way to run and Johnson’s mount eighth, looking every inch a 40-1 shot. Irish banker Le Coudray surged into a clear lead halfway up the run-in, the race apparently won, but Johnson had never stopped kicking and driving on Anzum, and now he threw in the kitchen sink as well. Dramatically, thrillingly, Anzum got up by a neck in one of Cheltenham’s best finishes. It was the first of Johnson’s 20 festival winners and none was more richly deserved, nor as hard earned.

Flagship Uberalles

Champion Chase, Cheltenham, 2002
This talented two-miler was brilliant and athletic, yet also lazy, fragile and error-prone. He needed the right handling and Johnson took firm control to deliver this crowning glory. Lethargic and lackadaisical, Flagship Uberalles looked anything but a 7-4 shot for most of the way and a bad mistake three out seemed the final straw, but Johnson never gave up. He worked for all he was worth on the tiring ground, driving himself to the point of exhaustion as he roused his mount to a  three-length win. 

Sandybraes
Brocklesby Hunters’ Chase, Market Rasen, 1995
Mr R Johnson (7) was a virtual unknown when he approached the last well clear on Sandybraes. His experienced mount clouted the fence and left Johnson hanging upside down around his neck with both legs on the same side of the horse. The then 17-year-old amateur’s innate horsemanship kicked in, however, and he won by seven lengths after what the Racing Post’s in-running comment described as “a brilliant recovery”. This was only his fifth winner but already the qualities that would take him to another 2,995 were evident.

Monkerhostin
Coral Cup, Cheltenham, 2004
If there are two types of jump jockey – strong and forceful, or quiet and patient – Johnson has the rare ability to be both, and he showed it here. Last as the 27 runners jumped off, Johnson was “so far back I thought it was ludicrous”. according to trainer Philip Hobbs, but stealthily crept closer until arriving in the front rank with Monkerhostin full of running. He waited, taking a lead until the home turn, then drove for home. Stealth now gave way to strength as Johnson held off the close attentions of Court Shareef to score by a length in a brilliant demonstration of big-handicap mastery.

Fingal-bay-360

Fingal Bay: won by a nose under an inspired Johnson

  PICTURE: Getty Images  

Fingal Bay
Pertemps Final, Cheltenham, 2014
It was probably no coincidence that Johnson’s pair of winners at the 2014 festival came in two of the closest finishes – by a short head on Balthazar King in the 3m6f cross-country chase and by a nose here – because when push comes to shove there is no-one better at getting his mounts over the line. This one was so tight that Paul Nicholls, trainer of runner-up Southfield Theatre, thought it was a dead-heat but Johnson, seemingly set for an easier victory until a mistake at the last, clawed back the deficit all the way up the hill and just got up. Dogged, determined and decisive.

Do not miss more appreciation as Richard Johnson reaches 3,000 winners over jumps in Britain and Ireland only in Sunday’s Racing Post – on iPad from 8pm Saturday

 

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