Horse racing: Johnson set for return to saddle

Leading jump jockey Richard Johnson has been given the go-ahead to return to action on Thursday after almost exactly three months on the sidelines.

And he is already looking forward to being reunited with his 2000 Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Looks Like Trouble, who made his own successful return from injury at Wincanton last Saturday.

The scene of his comeback depends on whether his agent Dave Roberts finds him a mount at Plumpton or at Warwick, which both stage jumps cards on Thursday.

Johnson was cleared to resume after his doctor examined X-rays on the leg the rider broke in a fall at Exeter in late October.

Johnson said: ‘‘It went great and hopefully I will be back on Thursday, if they can find me a mount.

‘‘Then I may go to Doncaster on Friday and hopefully Cheltenham on Saturday, when Philip Hobbs has quite a few entered.

‘‘My leg feels very good. A broken leg does not heal completely in three months but it looks all right on the X-ray. You can see where it was and you can see the new bone and the doctor’s very pleased with it.’’