Chris Johnson is planning to make a brief comeback over fences in a bid to improve his prospects of winning another New Zealand Jockeys’ Premiership.
The gifted horseman will ride Delacroix in the Wingatui Function Centre 2200 at Wingatui on Tuesday and he will also ride the eight-year-old in the open hurdles at Riverton on May 20.
“It’ll be a one-off ride to qualify him for highweights,” said Johnson’s partner, Belinda Middlewood. “John and Karen Parsons wanted him to ride Delacroix in last year’s Grand National, but he wasn’t keen at that stage.”
Under the New Zealand Rules of Racing jockeys are only eligible to ride in highweights if they have ridden in a steeplechase or hurdle race in the period from January 1 the previous year.
In Johnson’s case he hasn’t competed in a jumps race for almost six years, since he rode the Jeff Lynds-trained Conquistador when he was pulled up in the Great Northern Hurdles in September 2012.
Four days earlier he recorded his last jumps win aboard Silk ‘N’ Satin for John Sargent at the Wingatui meeting.
Johnson is an accomplished hurdles jockey, having 55 wins from 260 rides, though he has competed in just one steeplechase in which his mount fell.
His jumps CV includes three Grand National Hurdles triumphs, plus victories in the Great Western Hurdles, Great Northern Hurdles and Wellington Hurdles.
Johnson is familiar with the ability of Delacroix, having ridden him on the flat for a win and eight placings, and he has watched on as the son of Zabeel has made the grade as a hurdler with five wins and four placings from 13 attempts.
Delacroix beat just two home when resuming at the Riverton meeting in a flat race earlier in the month.
“He’s improved with the run and should go better on Tuesday,” Karen Parsons said. “He’ll be ready to go over fences at Riverton.”
Johnson has kicked home almost 2300 winners in New Zealand and the 54-year-old picked up his second New Zealand Jockeys’ Premiership last season, 21 years after he first won it in 1995-96.
Going into Tuesday’s Wingatui meeting he is sitting in third placing on the premiership with 81 wins, while Sam Collett has a clear lead on 106 ahead of her cousin, Alysha Collett, on 82.
It’s not an unfamiliar position for Johnson to be in as last season he was standing up the late season-leader Danielle Johnson a big start and went on to win the title by 15 wins from Alysha Collett with Johnson third.
“Being able to ride in highweights will give Chris a chance to get a few wins back on Sam Collett as she can’t ride in them,” John Tanahill, Johnson’s agent, said.
“He’s already missed out on possibly winning a few highweights.”
Jockeys who had ridden over fences were eligible to ride in highweights and jumpers’ flat races for the remainder of their careers until a rule change in recent years.
