Greatrex relishing arrangement with champion jockey Johnson

Champion jockey Richard Johnson will now have first call on horses trained by Warren Greatrex in a link-up the Lambourn trainer has described as huge for his Uplands operation.

Current stable jockey Gavin Sheehan, who teamed up with Greatrex for their finest hour when Cole Harden won the 2015 World Hurdle, will continue to ride for the yard, but Johnson, champion jump jockey for the last two seasons, will be the go-to man when available.

Harry Bannister, Greatrex's son Tom and conditional Ben Hicks will also be among the stable's squad of jockeys.

"I've come to an arrangement with Richard that he is going to have first call on anything he can ride when he's not riding for Philip Hobbs," said Greatrex, who is relishing the experience and knowhow Johnson will bring on board.

Gavin Sheehan: will continue to ride for the yardCredit: Getty Images

"It's huge for the yard for Richard to agree to this – his record speaks for itself. There might be owners who want to keep Gavin on, which is fine, but to have Richard available can only be a good thing. He's not going to be around forever, but things weren't quite working and I needed to do something about it. I think this will help everybody.

"In the last year or so, Gavin has found things a bit tough and this is a good way of going about it because I think it will take the pressure off him and it will give him the opportunity to learn off Richard, which will help him out a bit."

Greatrex, who had his best campaign in terms of winners last season, added: "There are going to be plenty of rides for Gavin, who will have the opportunity to spread his wings and ride out for other people. It can be hard for young lads when things aren't going as well as they'd like, but the experienced lads know to deal with it.

"Harry Bannister's ridden out his claim and he's done very well for us, Gavin will be riding out a couple of days a week, I've then got my son Tom claiming 7lb and another lad Ben Hicks, who has been with me before and is back as a conditional. I've got a good team of jockeys there and I think all of them can learn so much from Richard."

The pair combined in the first race at Newton Abbot on Friday when Major Davis finished second to Buble in the Follow Attheraces On Twitter Maiden Hurdle.

Richard Johnson: weekly schooling sessions in Lambourn

Johnson, who will head to Lambourn for weekly schooling sessions, added: "Warren and I both started at David Nicholson's and, while I've still ride for Philip and have commitments with Tim Vaughan and Henry Daly, I'll ride for Warren as much as I can. Hopefully, we will team up regularly and along with Gavin make it work well together. I'll be working with Gavin, not replacing him.

"Warren's been growing for the last few seasons. He's got a fantastic team of horses and hopefully we can look forward to a successful season."