Johnson ready to return
The rider, who currently lies second to Tony McCoy in the jockeys’ championship, was unseated from Terek in the Monty Beaumont Memorial Novices’ Handicap Chase and suffered bruising to his arm.
However, following five days on the easy list, Johnson will have three mounts at the Southern venue in his build-up to the Cheltenham Festival, where he will ride Smurfit Champion Hurdle favourite Rooster Booster.
“The arm seems to be pretty good and a lot of the swelling has come out,” Johnson said yesterday.
“It is still a bit bruised, but hopefully I will be able to ride again tomorrow.
“I’ll be very glad to be back, it’s been frustrating to see everybody else ride the winners. I have a couple of good rides tomorrow and have plenty to look forward to next week.”
Meanwhile, trainer Alan Berry has vowed to fight to clear his name at a Jockey Club disciplinary panel hearing into charges relating to the running of Hillside Girl at Carlisle last June.
Three others, farrier Steve O’Sullivan, jockey Paul Bradley and amateur rider Dale Jewett, will also face charges following an investigation by the security department.
Berry’s filly was pulled up lame after two furlongs in the Fathers Day Novice Auction Stakes at Carlisle on June 15, having drifted from odds-on to 21-1 on a leading betting exchange.
The four face charges that they are guilty of, or conspired with each other for the commission of, a corrupt or fraudulent practice in relation to racing.
This was ensuring that Hillside Girl, a filly which was known or suspected of being lame and therefore had little chance of winning or of being placed, should run in the interests of bets laid on betting exchanges.
The Lancashire-based trainer denies any wrongdoing regarding the incident and said he hoped to clear his name.
The stewards at Carlisle inquired into the running of the two-year-old after the five-furlong race and interviewed both Berry and jockey-on-the-day Bradley.
Following the evidence presented at that inquiry, the pair will also be charged with providing inaccurate information and omitting relevant information to the stewards.
Jockey Sean Fox was suspended for 21 days at Fontwell Park yesterday after being unseated from Ice Saint in a beginners’ chase.
An inquiry was held into the running and riding of the horse, who drifted both on course and on the betting exchanges, after Fox came off at the ninth fence in the Cantor Sport Beginners’ Chase.
Having heard his evidence and that of trainer Matt Gingell the stewards found the rider in breach of rule 157, in that he had stepped off his horse.
They suspended Fox from March 19 through to April 8.
