Richard Johnson admits broken arm has derailed bid for fifth championship

Champion jockey Richard Johnson on Monday conceded his hopes of retaining the title were all but over following the broken arm he sustained in a fall at Exeter last week, but was optimistic of being back in the saddle earlier than previously anticipated.

Johnson suffered a fractured right arm when thrown from Westend Story following a bad error in a novices' handicap chase at the Devon course and underwent an operation to insert a plate in his arm at a hospital near Southampton last Thursday.

The jockey said: “The surgery procedure all went to plan and the doctors were happy with the outcome, so the chances are I'll be back in four to five weeks rather than the original assessment, which meant I would be out for up to six weeks, so that’s the good news.