Richard Johnson achieved an extra bonus in his relentless march to a first
jockeys championship as he completed the maiden double century of his career
with victory on Cheat The Cheater in the Listers Audi Novices Handicap Chase at
Warwick.
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his fee on the Claire Dyson-trained nine-year-old, who looked well held after
being prominent in the early stages of the three-mile contest.Glendermot looked
certain to land the spoils when kicking clear of long-time leader Kapricorne.
However, he put the brakes on turning for home with two fences left to jump.
That threw the race wide open and Johnson took full advantage on Cheat The
Cheater.Rousting his mount to challenge, the 4-1 joint-favourite outfought his
fellow market leader, who although getting a second wind, could not match Cheat
The Cheater on the run-in.Johnson kept his horse up to his work to prevail by
three and a half lengths.For good measure he made it a double on the day with
success aboard Little Miss Poet (2-5 favourite) for his boss Philip Hobbs in the
British Stallion Studs EBF Mares Standard Open National Hunt Flat Race.Johnson
is setting a cracking pace in his bid to win the riders title after finishing
runner-up 15 times to the now-retired Sir Anthony McCoy.The success took the
38-year-old to another landmark this season as he reached 3,000 career winners
at Ludlow last month.Johnson said: The season has gone so well and to get to 200
has been amazing.Ill be here all day thanking all the people who have given me
rides, and the support Ive had from racegoers around the country has been
amazing.Even when you have an odds-on shot it doesnt always go quite as planned,
so you never take anything for granted. Im lucky I ride fancied horses on a
daily basis and so I was pretty sure I would get to 200 at some point, but you
never quite know when.Being champion jockey has always been my goal since I was
19 and its taken me a long time to get there.This year has gone so well and to
get to 200 is an extra bonus, which I realistically did not think of at the
start of the season.The championship was always the number one ambition for the
season.Johnson told Racing UK: Its been a funny old winter. Its been very wet
and mild. Some yards havent fired with their usual frequency, but Philips
(Hobbs) have been in great form from day one which has been a massive help to
me.For the first six months you obviously just want to get as many winners on
the board and you do slightly worry because you never know in our job what is
round the corner.I just wanted to keep fit and sound with lots of firepower to
ride like Ive had for the last 15 to 20 years.I thought as long as I can be
consistent Ive got to have a great chance.Aidan Coleman had a great start with
John Fergusons horses and theres Sam Twiston-Davies and lots of other young lads
coming through and snapping at my heels.They want to be champion as much as I
do.You cant take anything for granted. The important thing now is to start in
May again and get another one under my belt.Realistically it would be lovely to
go to the Cheltenham Festival and have one winner. Its a hard place to go to,
and a special place as well.Hopefully Philip is going to have a good team going
there and it would be nice to think well have a good Cheltenham and then roll on
to Aintree a few weeks after that.Hobbs said: Its great hes done it and Im
delighted for him.Its good its out of the way and we can move on now and try to
get him to the next hundred.Johnson joins an elite band of just three jockeys to
hit a double-century in a single National Hunt season.McCoy still holds the
record after riding 289 winners in the 2001-02 campaign and admitted following
his retirement that his failure to get to 300 after suffering injury in his
final year was one of his biggest regrets.Eight-times champion jockey Peter
Scudamore enjoyed 221 winners during the 1988-89 season and expects Johnson to
beat his tally before the end of this term.He said: Ive followed Richards career
all the way through, with us both being Herefordshire lads, and I rode against
his grandfather and his father in point-to-points.Only three of us have done it
and for two of us to to be from a small county like Herefordshire is amazing
really.Im really pleased for him. Its a terrific effort and a fantastic
achievement.Im sure hes delighted to get it out of the way and hell be looking
forward to Cheltenham now.With two months of the season to go, youd imagine he
might get to 240 or 250 winners.Johnson was runner-up to McCoy in 15 of the 20
seasons he was crowned champion jockey before his retirement last year and is on
course to claim a richly deserved first title in April.McCoy said: Its a
brilliant achievement and takes a lot more hard work than people might think.It
takes a lot of graft and dedication and Im delighted for Richard, who has worked
hard and is a brilliant jockey.Hes been riding for a long time and Im sure to
get to 200 winners in a season will give him a lot of satisfaction. Its
something he should be very proud of.I dont like saying it, but not many have
done it before.McCoy holds the record for number of winners in a National Hunt
season after riding 289 winners in the 2001-02 campaign and he feels that will
be a difficult total for Johnson to reach.All records are there to be broken,
but to get that sort of total you need so much to go right, he said.The season I
rode 289 winners, 189 of those were for Martin Pipe. Whoever is going to beat
that is going to need someone like that behind them, and Martin Pipes are very
hard to come by numerically.You can never say never, but Im a realist and I
tried to do it again every year for the next 13 years and failed.Its still a big
landmark to reach 200 winners and its great for Richard and great for the
sport.*Sky Bet paid out on Richard Johnson as Champion Jockey following his
200th winner of the season.Sky Bet spokesman Michael Shinners said: Its looked
for a long time like Richard Johnson would follow in the footsteps of Sir
Anthony McCoy and his first double hundred is well deserved.Theres no point in
keeping punters who backed Johnson waiting any longer with the title a done deal
so weve paid out early on what has been a one-horse race for much of the
season.After Richard Johnson reached the landmark of 200 winners in a season for
the first time, we look at six of the best horses he has ridden to victory in
his prolific career:FLORIDA PEARLWhile not the regular partner for Willie
Mullins multiple Grade One winner, Johnson took the ride for what was to be the
final victory at the top level for the 16-times race winner when steering him to
his fourth win in the Irish Hennessy at Leopardstown at the grand age of 12. The
pair had also won the 2001 running.VIKING FLAGSHIPWinner of the 1994 Queen
Mother Champion Chase, one of two victories in the Cheltenham race, Johnson
partnered the David Nicholson-trained star during the twilight of his career to
victory in the Haldon Gold Cup in 1997 and in the Castleford Chase at Wetherby
later that same year, on what was to be his final win.ROOSTER BOOSTERThrough his
association with Philip Hobbs, the champion jockey-elect has ridden numerous
winners for owner Terry Warner, of which the popular grey proudly sits at the
top of the list having given him his sole triumph to date in the Champion Hurdle
back in 2003.LOOKS LIKE TROUBLEAlthough limited to just the 18 career starts,
Looks Like Trouble and Johnson enjoyed a good relationship with the pair
blossoming at the Cheltenham Festival when they teamed up to capture the 2000
Cheltenham Gold Cup.FLAGSHIP UBERALLESDespite Joe Tizzard enjoying most of
Flagship Uberalles early success, it was Johnson who was in the saddle for
arguably his three most significant victories with glory in the 2000 Tingle
Creek Chase, 2002 Queen Mother Champion Chase and his final win in the BMW Chase
at Punchestown in 2003.REVE DE SIVOLAIn terms of modern-day staying hurdlers,
there are as few as tough as Reve De Sivola, something Johnson knows all too
well having been on board for his first two Grade One Long Walk Hurdle victories
at Ascot in 2012 and 2013, as well his neck success over Oscar Whisky in the
2013 Cleeve Hurdle at Cheltenham. Also See: Live results service Full racecards
Bet £5 Get £20 Free Get Sky Sports
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tournament of the year here in Abu Dhabi," Mickelson said.
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Max 97 . Jane Virtanen scored two, and Alex Roach and Elliott
Peterson rounded out the offence for the Hitmen (40-15-6). Brady Brassart
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Hazard cut in from the left and scored with a swerving right-footed shot for
ninth goal of the season, which proved to be enough for the victory despite
Chelseas forwards again lacking a cutting edge up front.INDIANAPOLIS -- The
Indiana Pacers grew up this season. They overcame the loss of their top scorer
to win a division title and make their deepest playoff run in nine years. They
put the defending champion Miami Heat on the brink of elimination and recaptured
their fans in this basketball-loving state. Now one of the leagues youngest
teams insists that Monday nights dismal season-ending loss wont stymie their
ascension. It will only make this team better and tougher. "First time for a lot
of us to be in this situation, Game 7," budding star Paul George said after the
99-76 rout ended Indianas run in the Eastern Conference finals. "They (the Heat)
really ramped up the pressure. We should have taken a deep breath and remembered
its just a basketball game and doing what weve been doing all year long." A year
ago, the Pacers were pondering so many other things heading into the off-season.
George had struggled mightily against Miami in the playoffs and promised to
return a different player. LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh continually
sliced up Indianas defence. And with such a young roster, many wondered how long
it would take this team to mature. Turns out, not long at all. George delivered
on his promise, taking the reins when Danny Granger started the season on the
bench because of an injured left knee, and wound up being selected the NBAs Most
Improved Player. Center Roy Hibbert signed his big contract, spent the
off-season training MMA style and eventually showed he was worth all that money
by dominating the middle in the playoffs. Forward David West returned to form,
providing inside muscle and veteran expertise to help stabilize the Pacers when
times got tough, and George Hill and Lance Stephenson fit neatly into their new
roles. Together, Indiana turned the conference finals into the most compelling
playoff series of the post-season and they didnt even have to be perfect to
nearly upset the defending champs. Coach Frank Vogel pulled his rim protector,
Hibbert, out in overtime of Game 1 and when George overplayed James on the final
play, the four-time MVP drove in for an easy game-winning layup as the buzzer
sounded. The Pacers failed to protect their home court in Game 3, blew a
halftime lead at Miami in Game 5 and a first-quarter lead in Game 7 at Miami.
The missed opportunities prevented Indiana from turning the NBA Finals into an
old ABA donnybrook with San Antonio, and the scary part is what the Pacers can
do next -- if they keep the core group together. Indianas top off-season
priority will be re-signing West, who heads into free agency after posting
averages of 17.1 points and 7.7 rebounds during the season and virtually
identical numbers in the playoffs. Despite speculation that the 6-foot-9,
250-pound soon-to-be 33-year-old West might rejoin ex-teammate Chris Paul, West
has continued to make it perfectly clear where he would like to play next
season. "This is my group. These arre my guys.
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97 Gold. . You know, I cant see myself going anywhere else," West
said after Mondays loss. "Were the second-best team in the Eastern Conference,
one of the top four teams in the league, in my estimation, based on this year.
This group is a solid group. It gives me as an individual the best chance to
accomplish the goals that I have left in terms of my future, and thats competing
at this stage of the game every single year from here on out." The question is
how much can this small-market team afford? Last summer, Indiana gave big
contracts to Hibbert and Hill. The Pacers also face the costly proposition of
trying to re-sign George and Stephenson, who are scheduled to become restricted
free agents in 2014, while trying to improve a bench that didnt provide enough
scoring punch in the conference finals. The Pacers must also decide what to do
with Granger, who led the Pacers in scoring each of the previous five seasons.
In 2012-13, he played in only five games and watched from the bench as the
Pacers came within one win of reaching the NBA Finals for the first time since
Reggie Miller & Co. in 2000 Grangers absence gave Indiana a glimpse into
what the future could be. At age 23, George led the team in scoring (17.4), made
his first All-Star appearance, was a third-team All-NBA choice and a second-team
choice on the leagues all-defensive team. Then in the playoffs, he showed
everyone in the playoffs why hes an emerging superstar. Stephenson also took
advantage of the move from career backup to NBA first-time starter and delivered
two key post-season performances that helped Indiana play into June. If Granger
comes back healthy, it would give the Pacers another big scorer and perhaps
deliver the one missing link to get past Miami. With Grangers salary expected to
top $14 million next season, the Pacers could to move the 30-year-old to add
another big-time scorer in the backcourt or depth to the bench. "I expect to be
back in the starting lineup," Granger said. But if this season demonstrated one
thing, it was this: They dont need Granger to be a contender. They won the
Central Division by 3 1/2 games over Derrick Rose-less Chicago, upset
second-seeded New York by rendering NBA scoring champ Carmelo Anthony
ineffective in the fourth quarter and then beat up Miami inside. Indiana
finished the regular season ranked No. 1 in defensive field goal percentage,
3-point defensive field goal percentage and rebounding while finishing second in
scoring defence. And in a league that has gone small, the Pacers are winning by
going big. That blueprint nearly worked this year and it could keep them in
contention for a title for another decade. "Again, weve got the same goals we
had last summer," West said. "Our only focus is going to be to beat Miami. I
mean, thats what it was at the beginning of the year, and I dont see that
changing in the foreseeable future."
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