Champion NH Jockey Richard Johnson Retires

Richard Johnson, a four-time champion jockey over jumps, announced his retirement on Saturday. His final ride was a third-place finish aboard Brother Tedd (GB) (Kayf Tara {GB}) in the 5:25 at Newton Abbot. Johnson, who has over 3,800 winners, earned his first title in 2016 after 20-time champion jockey Sir AP McCoy retired. He retained his crown for three more seasons. Johnson was also runner-up to McCoy an additional 16 times in the jockeys' standings. Although he did not win the Grand National, he booted home two winners of the Cheltenham Gold Cup-Looks Like Trouble (Ire) (Zaffaran) (2000) and Native River (Ire) (Indian River {Fr}) (2018). Johnson was awarded an OBE in 2019.

“After nearly 30 years in the saddle, the time has come for me to retire,” Johnson said in a statement. “I have been so extraordinarily lucky to have ridden so many wonderful horses, and for so many incredible trainers and owners. It was particularly important to me to finish on one for Philip and Sarah Hobbs who, like Henry Daly, have supported me for over 20 years. I'll never be able to articulate what their loyalty has meant to me.

“There are so many people to thank who have been part of my journey. Without 'the Duke' and Dinah Nicholson and their remarkable staff, I'd never have got that first leg up. Noel Chance, Peter Bowen and Milton Bradley, thank you for putting your trust in me when I was starting out. Those were the days that shaped my career, with so many people who remain lifelong friends.

“The truth is there are simply too many people to thank on an individual basis, but you know who you are and what you mean to me. To jockeys past and present who I've shared weighing room benches with up-and-down the country, to the valets who have looked after me, to the doctors who've patched me up and to the physios who've put me back together. Without Dave Roberts I'd have never ridden as many winners and without the help of physio Kate Davis in recent years I wouldn't physically have been able to. I salute you all.

“Thank you to the Tote and the ROA for sponsoring me. Thanks to all the fantastic racecourses and staff that put on this great show and to all the media who have been so supportive for so long. To all horseracing fans who we have missed so much this year on our racecourses. Thank you for every cheer, every shout of encouragement, it's given me enormous strength over the years. I am so very grateful to you all.

“To my wonderful family, thank you so much. Mum, Dad and my brother Nick who have always been by my side. Finally, to my wife Fiona and amazing children Willow, Caspar and Percy. Without you nothing would have been possible.”

McCoy paid tribute to Johnson on Twitter. He tweeted, “Sometimes those who challenge us the most teach us the best. You did both to me for over 20 years–I will be forever grateful to you, thanks buddy. When you go home tonight, look in the mirror you'll see what a champion looks like. Enjoy your retirement.”

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Champion Oisin Murphy Returns From Suspension at Lingfield

Champion jockey Oisin Murphy, who has been serving a three-month suspension, returns to the saddle at Lingfield on Friday. The two-time champion jockey and retained rider for Qatar Racing was banned by France Galop stewards following a positive test this past summer for cocaine metabolites. Throughout the investigation, Murphy denied taking cocaine. A France Galop hearing accepted Murphy's hair sample results and his testimony regarding unintentional environmental contamination. His three mounts over the Lingfield polytrack on Friday are: Saeed Manana and trainer James Tate's Rain Gauge (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) in the 1:30 p.m. one-mile novice stakes and that duo's Sky Commander (Ire) (War Command) in the 2:05 p.m. seven-furlong handicap. He Can Dance (Ire) (Es Que Love {Ire}) rounds out the trio in the 2:40 p.m. seven-furlong handicap for owner/trainer Sylvester Kirk.

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‘I Wasn’t Sure If I Wanted To Ride Again’: Oisin Murphy Reveals Mental Struggles After Drug Positive

Champion jockey Oisin Murphy tested positive for metabolites of cocaine in July of 2020, later revealed that a sex partner was likely responsible for the positive test and was absolved of taking the drug himself, and eventually wound up with a three-month suspension from France-Galop which will end in March of 2021.

He retained his championship title in 2020, but this week Murphy candidly revealed to the Racing Post's My Sporting Mind podcast the struggles he endured mentally during the latter half of the season.

“I felt like the world had turned against me, over something I didn't really mean to happen,” Murphy said. “When I went to America [for the Breeders' Cup] I was hoping I'd done enough to win the jockeys' championship and by the time I rode in my last race, I wasn't sure if I wanted to ride again.”

Help came from fellow top jockey Frankie Dettori in the form of supportive messages, as well as the rest of his family and friends.

“I remember feeling the season was going to be defined one of two ways – I could fight on or let my season, my year, crumble to nothing,” Murphy summarized. “I knew I was going to get the ban, but I also knew that if I didn't win the jockeys' championship it would have been a season when I allowed everything that was going on around me to defeat me.”

Read more at the Racing Post.

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‘Riding For Freedom’: Champion Jockey’s Memoir Includes Battling Personal Demons, Addictions

Top Canadian Jockey Eurico Rosa da Silva released his first book on Tuesday, Jan. 19. Riding for Freedom is a raw personal memoir on his struggles to overcome an abusive father and debilitating addictions to survive the high stakes world of horse racing.

In his 16 triumphant seasons racing at Woodbine Racetrack, Eurico Rosa da Silva won seven Sovereign Awards as the outstanding jockey in Canada. He rode horses to victory in two consecutive Queen's Plate races and won the World All-Star Jockeys Challenge against top jockeys from France, Australia, Hong Kong, the United Kingdom and Japan.

Born on a dairy farm in an impoverished community in rural Brazil, da Silva determined at an early age that he would become a champion jockey. With implacable focus, he pursued his goal, first in Brazil, then through Macao to Canada, where he earned a reputation as an intensely focused and good-humored competitor.

But the real challenge in his life had little to do with horse racing. Since his childhood in Brazil, da Silva had been engaged in a much more lethal contest against a deep-seated anger that sometimes threatened to derail not just his career, but his life as well.

The negativity and self-doubt consumed him and sent him down a path of self‑destruction that led him to despair even in his great moments of victory. With the support of a qualified therapist, Da Silva began his greatest race – to free himself from his sex and gambling addictions along with the tyranny of his past.

More than an account of Eurico's rise to international renown in the high stakes horse‑racing world, this is also the story of his conquest of the demons that haunted him throughout his career. From his birth and early years in Brazil, this book describes his ascent to the highest ranks of his athletic profession. It also lays bare his struggle to heal the emotional scars inflicted by an absent and negligent father, and his victory over the forces that threatened at times to end his life.

Riding for Freedom by Eurico Rosa da Silva is now available on Amazon.

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