Richard Johnson finding fulfilment after a long wait to be crowned champion

It is a wretched predicament for any athlete to be born in the era of the 'greatest of all time'. Those who have given vain chase to Usain Bolt will know the feeling, as will those who played against Tiger Woods in his prime.

The effect can be debilitating. Richard Johnson well remembers the occasion, many moons ago, when he had to sit back and recalibrate his ambition. Every day of every week of every month of every season, he was up against the winner-churning machine that was Tony McCoy. It was time to stop chasing the long shadow.

It wasn’t an easy thing to do but Johnson opened a box, put his champion’s yearning inside it and nailed down the lid. He still paid public lip-service to the notion of chasing McCoy at the start of every season. He would try his best, he’d say, knowing full well the sheer futility of the aspiration. It was a hopeless cause. He was the jockey who had everything he ever wanted except for the thing he wanted most of all.