Johnson came close to turning his back on National drama

Apr 7 2008 by Chris Wright, Liverpool Daily Post

DAVID JOHNSON has now tasted the ultimate high of success in the John Smith’s Grand National with the David Pipe-trained Comply Or Die.

But the big-spending owner has suffered his fair share of pain in the 4m4f marathon down the years.

The East End dockers’ son, who worked his way up from Midland Bank clerk to multi-millionaire, has been one of racing’s biggest supporters, winning many of the biggest races in the jumping calendar with Pipe’s father Martin.

But in the precarious world of jump racing he has tasted the lows that the Grand National can sometimes bring and like the connections of McKelvey – the only fatality in Saturday’s contest – the 54-year-old has seen some of his horses come to an untimely end at Aintree.

He had only ever had two horses finish in 13 attempts before this year’s race with Lord Atterbury’s third to Amberleigh House in 2004 and It Takes Time’s fourth-placed finish a year later the only bright spots.

In the past he has even given thought to never having a runner in the race following the sad death of Eudipe in 1999. But Johnson, who has around 70 horses in training at several trainers, is so passionate about racing he returned. And on Saturday he was rewarded with his greatest victory.

He said: “I did say I wasn’t going to have any more runners in it. I think I lost three or four horses in one meeting here. You say things in the heat of the moment. There is pressure from the family not to have horses here because of what has happened in the past.

“I suppose, though, pressure from the trainer made me change my mind. We say things on the spur of the moment and time is a great healer. But the fences are far easier now.”

Johnson was savouring the moment in a season which has been difficult due to injury problems to some his stars.

He said: “I’m a very lucky owner to have achieved most people’s life ambition; the Grand National is the race everybody wants to win but only a few can ever do it and I’m very lucky.

“We have had some disappointments this season. I have probably got 10 good horses back at David’s yard that haven’t seen a racecourse this year. Well Chief is the obvious one, but a lot of others. We have got three or four really top-class horses that have been injured on the gallops back home. It doesn’t always happen at the racecourse, a lot more get injured at home.

“I’m obviously sorry for the connections of the one horse who didn’t get home yesterday, but by and large Aintree put on a great display and the fences are much kinder to the horses.”

Johnson was also delighted for his retained jockey Timmy Murphy.

The 33-year-old Irish rider took over from Tony McCoy when he became JP McManus’s number one jockey in 2004. And he gave his reasons why he retains so much faith in a rider who has had his own problems in the past.

Johnson said: “He is a horseman and he showed what a good jockey he was on Comply Or Die.

“Timmy was my choice, not the Pipe’s choice. I had 111 winners one season and I wouldn’t have had that if I hadn’t had Timmy riding. If a horse doesn’t win, he will come back another day. If a horse doesn’t win, sometimes you don’t see them again. So he just treats horses kindly. He sometimes gets into trouble because he will give a horse a sympathetic ride. If a horse can’t win a race there is no point beating it up. If you want to come 11th or 12th and you get suspended for coming 12th when you could have come 11th then what is the point.

“It still amazes me how he gets few outside rides. When I was looking for a jockey you looked at who was available. We spoke to Richard Johnson who was attached to the Hobbs yard. It was no secret Martin spoke to Richard and he didn’t want to come.

“Ruby was associated with Paul Nicholls, Barry Geraghty couldn’t do the weight. He rides at 10st10lb which was no good, so Timmy was the natural choice.

“We have all got a few skeletons in our past. But he is a good jockey, a good horseman and he just needed the opportunity to show the talents after the mishaps that he had really.”