A LEGENDARY jockey is back in the big time in racing – after spending £230,000 on a ‘talking horse’ at the Cheltenham sales.
Hugely popular former rider Richard Johnson was the man behind the monster bid for five-year-old gelding Starzand.
Cheltenham January Sale
— Tattersalls Cheltenham (@TattsCheltenham) January 29, 2025
Starzand, top lot & the sale's "talking" horse, became the 2nd best-priced horse ever sold at the January sale@dickyjohnson77: "Dave Lewis of Gwent Holdings is enthusiastic, he wants nice horses to run in good chases"@BaltimoreStable to @PJHobbs1
A two-time point-to-point winner, Starzand was bought by David Lewis of Gwent Holdings with the hope of turning into a top 3m chaser.
He is by former Derby and Irish Derby winner Harzand, an up-and-coming sire who already counts the hugely promising Triumph Hurdle contender Hello Neighbour among his progeny.
Johnson purchased the horse in conjunction with Johnson White, who co-trains with Philip Hobbs at their Somerset base.
Should Starzand ultimately head their way then there will be considerable pressure on them to turn him into a winner.
He can be expected to follow a route from bumpers to hurdles and ultimately the top prizes over fences, with Cheltenham Festival success the goal.
Starzand was dubbed a ‘talking horse’ by prospective buyers because of his considerable potential, and was the one everyone buying at the auction wanted.
Johnson, 47, was in tears when he retired on live TV in April 2021, after finishing third in a race at Newton Abbot.
His amazing career saw him crowned champion jockey four times in a row from 2016 and win the Gold Cup twice.
But he has branched out into ownership since hanging up his whip – and that includes spending big at the sales.
Commenting on his latest purchase, Johnson said: “Everyone wants winners at Cheltenham and that is where we want to get.
[bc_video account_id=”5067014667001″ application_id=”” aspect_ratio=”16:9″ autoplay=”” caption=”The Sun Members Enclosure gives you exclusive access to the best tips in Horse Racing ” embed=”in-page” experience_id=”” height=”100%” language_detection=”” max_height=”360px” max_width=”640px” min_width=”0px” mute=”” padding_top=”56%” picture_in_picture=”” player_id=”default” playlist_id=”” playsinline=”” sizing=”responsive” video_id=”6367453386112″ video_ids=”” width=”640px”]“This looks a lovely horse, and will be one for the future, he is a proper long-term three-mile chaser and it might take him two years for him to reach his potential.
“We loved the horse, he’s got the form in the book and we thought he was right for the owner.
“I was hoping we’d get him for £150,000! You never want to spend more than you have to.
“But he was always going to be an expensive horse. He ticks a lot of boxes and was never going to be cheap.”