In a world where superlatives are so devalued that expressions like “very, very unique” and “most proudest moment” reign; where achievements by snipers make world daily news as YouTube videos of the bleeding obvious garner millions of views, where are the accolades for a true Kiwi champion – a bloke who has overcome more adversity than entire towns? A bloke whose best days should have been three decades back, but who is today showing what courage, determination and guts can do.
Chris Johnson is this bloke’s name. You won’t find him in Wikipedia and you won’t see him on the evening news. He has been given a leg onto horses over 16,000 times in a career spanning almost 40 years, with over 2200 of those winning their races.
A few years back, Chris was washed up. Tired of the constant battle with his weight, while undergoing an even harder battle with the bottle, resulting in DIC convictions, he didn’t ride for seven years.
Then, as he approached 50, his love for the four-legged speedsters gave him a reason to fight the demons and get back on the damned horse.
Since then, he has ridden against the best jockeys New Zealand and the world could throw at him and he’s come up trumps this year, with an unassailable lead in the jockeys’ premiership, with three weeks to run.
And he hasn’t done by riding every horse he could get a saddle on – his strike rate is the best of the top four, and only Jonathan Parkes in the top 10 has a slightly better strike rate.
If you ever needed an example of there being life on the other side of darkness, he’s right here in NZ – C W Johnson, known as “Magic” to the racing fraternity, in honour of his legendary ability to win races when he should get beaten.
Just like the man himself.
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