LIVE24SEVEN // Interview
Richard said, “I didn’t really appreciate then what it meant to win the Gold Cup, I was only 22. It all happened so quickly and I have been trying again for a long time since! Though I’ve had lots of good rides, I haven’t managed to emulate the win and so for me now, the Gold Cup is the only one I want to win again.”
He continued, “I have also been fortunate to win the Champion Hurdle on Rooster Booster at Cheltenham. He was fantastic, just bolted up the hill and another Festival win was the Champions Chase on Flagship Uberalles for my boss, Philip Hobbs. There are only 3 of us riding at the moment (along with Ruby Walsh and Barry Geraghty) that have managed to win all four of those championship races at Cheltenham, so I feel very lucky but it’s all down to the horse you’re on. It doesn’t matter how good you are in the saddle, at that level it’s so tough you do need a bit of luck but what you really need is that special horse that’s going to get you in that position.
“It’s hard to put into words crossing the finishing line having won races of that magnitude. It’s a blur and it’s only as I’ve got older that I’m able to take it all in and really appreciate it. The noise, the atmosphere, the crowd; it just hits you and there’s no feeling like winning a Festival winner at Cheltenham.”
National Hunt racing is a 7 day-a-week job so there’s little time to celebrate even if you have just won a major race. Richard said, “Before Sunday racing, Saturday evenings were a time when we could enjoy our success but that has been somewhat curtailed - though there’s always a time and a place! If you have a big win it means so much to the owners and trainers and they will ensure the whole yard can enjoy the success.
“In the last 10 years, there’s been a massive step forward so everyone from the stable boys and girls to the lads and lassies receive the recognition for which they all deserve.
at the races and ride out but it’s taken
hours and hours to get the horses to the courses in tip-top condition. It’s such hard work for them; early mornings and late nights, often in pretty miserable conditions – they are the unsung heroes we definitely can’t do without.”
Having been runner up to AP McCoy on 16 occasions in the Champion Jockey title, Richard was finally crowned champion for the first time in 2016 and reclaimed the title in 2017. In the 2016/17 season, Richard rode a century of winners for the 21st consecutive time. Richard said, “Without AP my life is definitely a bit easier - the fact I have won the title 2 years running says it all really! Even now it’s quite surreal as though I had a fantastic career, AP kept wining the crown and I couldn’t quite beat him. When he announced his retirement I thought I now might have my chance even though I knew it wouldn’t be easy. I had an amazing season the first year and I received support from every owner and trainer in the country – even the jockeys seemed to be rooting for me which was a humbling experience receiving all this support. I’ve just got to try and keep doing this as now I have got here, it’s sometimes feels harder being able to stay at the top.”
It’s great for us jockeys to turn up
Richard enjoys one of the longest jockey/trainer relationships with Philip Hobbs and is looking forward to the forthcoming season. “Philip has over 100 horses this year and there are so many lovely ones, it’s hard to pinpoint the best but Rock the Kasbah you can see running in some of the big staying handicaps this year and Defi Du Seuil that
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