Ffrench given top Northern job

Royston Ffrench is replacing Robert Winston as the first choice Flat jockey for the powerful team of trainer Howard Johnson and owner Graham Wylie.

The decision was made before Winston endured his serious fall at Ayr on Saturday and is a major career boost for the 1997 champion apprentice, who has been riding well all season.

“You don’t get these opportunities every day, and you have to make hay while the sun shines,” Ffrench told the Racing Post.

“It’s still a word-of-mouth arrangement, but we sorted it out last week and Mr Wylie and Mr Johnson would like me to ride their horses.”

The big-spending partnership has already become a leading force in jump racing but only recently turned their attention to the Flat.

One of Ffrench’s first rides for them will be in next week’s Scottish Equitable Gimcrack Stakes at York aboard Coventry Stakes runner-up Pacific Pride.

He added: “They have a lot of nice two-year-olds up there including Pacific Pride, who was in good order when I rode him in work last week.

“I sat on a lot of good horses when I worked with Luca Cumani and so I know when I sit on a class horse, and Pacific Pride is a class horse.”

Richard Hale is the agent for both Ffrench and Winston and insisted that there was no bad feeling involved.

“Robert was riding all Howard Johnson’s horses but Howard says Graham Wylie likes consistency, in the same way that Graham Lee rides his jumpers, and we were struggling to provide that consistency with Robert,” he said.

“Robert and Royston are really good pals but in this game you do often benefit from someone else's downfall. Royston is a very good jockey and he’s really been on the up again since moving up north.”