It would probably be unfair to say that
Richard Johnson is glad to see the back of Tony McCoy, but the
absence of the perennial Champion Jockey does greatly enhance his
chances of winning the British Jump Jockeys’ Championship for the
first time. He’s made a decent start to the new National Hunt
season, which began on April 26, and can extend his lead at the top
of the table on Sternrubin in the Anchor Inn Cockwood Maiden
Hurdle (5.55) at Exeter for his boss Phillip Hobbs.
The 4-year-old has chased home Lil
Rockefeller in valuable juvenile handicap hurdles at Ascot and
Sandown in recent months and, although still a maiden, appears to
have been found an excellent opportunity to open his account. The
prevailing good, good to firm in places, going is slightly faster
than the son of Authorized has encountered for a while, but he was
only narrowly beaten in a maiden at Thirsk on good going last summer,
so shouldn’t be unduly inconvenienced by faster underfoot
conditions.
Granted his high-profile connections,
as well as his outstanding chance on the form book, it’s unlikely
that the bookmakers will allow him to go off at anything but a very
short price, but he should be very hard to beat.
Exeter 5.55 Sternrubin to win
