TOP jocks Richard Johnson and Noel Fehily might have retired from the saddle . . . but they never really left.
Both dominated for decades, riding a whopping 71 Grade 1 winners between them.
Noel Fehily wins the 2018 Supreme on Summerville Boy in his pompGetty Images – Getty
That was no mean feat, as they were riders in the golden era when legends AP McCoy, Barry Geraghty and Ruby Walsh were still flitting around.
Johnson’s retirement in April 2021 effectively ushered in the changing of the guard but, let’s be honest, we never thought nice-guy Dickie would just curl up and disappear from the scene.
The same comments apply to ‘cool hands’ Fehily, a six-time Cheltenham Festival winner who terrorised his rivals for 21 years on the track.
Those rivals were never going to get respite for long, however, as Fehily was already devising a plan for further domination.
Fehily said: “When I stopped riding, myself and fellow ex-jockey Dave Crosse were having conversations about setting up a syndicate.
“Dave and I have known each other a long time and we both knew what we wanted from the get go.
“We wanted quality horses for big days, not just horses to have a few days out with. We also knew we needed to buy the horses first — you can’t sell people on an idea alone.”
The syndicate’s first winner came in November 2019 and has multiplied at an almost alarming rate.
They currently have 33 horses in training and can already boast Grade 1 winners and a Royal Ascot runner too.
The Covid-19 pandemic set in just six months after the syndicate took off, but even that could not stop the dynamic duo.
Fehily said: “I could never have imagined it would grow to the size it is now. I know it’s easy to say, but it really was set up to have some fun with just a few good-quality horses.
“Pride Of Lecale was our first winner in a modest Chepstow handicap in 2019 and after some more early success, it really took off.
“Covid hit when we were only six months old and that could have been the end, but we were even selling shares during lockdown when there was no racing.
“I know we were very lucky to get through that difficult period and I’m very grateful we were able too.”
Fehily came agonisingly close to his first Cheltenham Festival winner as an owner when Love Envoi was touched off by Honeysuckle in an epic Mares’ Hurdle last year.
Love Envoi (far side) fights a (narrowly) losing battle with HoneysuckleSportsfile
In typical ex-jockey fashion, it was a day Fehily cannot talk about without grimacing, despite it being a classic.
He said: “It was special to be part of the moment, no doubt, as I’d say it was the race of the Festival last year.
“It was an amazing spectacle, but it was really hard to swallow then and still is now. No one wants to finish second at Cheltenham — no matter how good the winner was.”
Love Envoi will be heading back hoping to make amends, and with plenty of promising horses also coming through, it is unlikely the syndicate’s Cheltenham duck will last for long.
He added: “Love Envoi is a special horse for us and it would feel right for her to be our first Cheltenham winner.”
As for Johnson, he was already involved in breeding as his career in the saddled wound down and his competitors were never going to be free of him for long either.
Johnson was responsible for keeping 20-time champion McCoy honest for over a decade and once his nemesis retired, he won four titles on the spin.
Johnson, 46, had planned to take a bit of a sabbatical from racing after his 2021 retirement, but much like Fehily, racing was that itch he needed to scratch.
Johnson said: “Once I’d retired I took stock for 18 months, spent a bit more time with the family and focused on the breeding side of things with my wife Fiona.
“My old boss Philip Hobbs mentioned about starting a syndicate when I first retired and it was always on my mind.
“The success Noel and Dave have had spurred me on and we found a pair of lovely horses at the Doncaster sales to go to war with.
“It’s been fantastic to see the mix of people. Some of the owners I used to ride for have gotten involved and some new people to the sport too.
“I want this to be more than a standard syndicate. For instance, if people want to come see the horses while they’re on holiday, they’re more than welcome to.”
The syndicate got off to the perfect start with Imperial Saint winning on debut at Ludlow in November, wearing the silks (left) that have been in the Johnson family for over 60 years.
It was a full circle moment for Johnson, who rode his first winner in those colours and had watched his Dad ride plenty of winners in them too.
The good vibes have kept rolling with his second horse Party Vibes also getting off the mark at the third attempt in gritty style at Wincanton on Boxing Day.
Watching has not been a strength of Dickie’s, however, who may end up coming out of retirement at this rate.
Johnson said: “Most days of the week I look at the horses and think ‘I could be riding them, I should get back on the horse so to speak’.
“That’s not even just with my own horses either — that’s every day I’m at the racecourse!
“I really miss it and the syndicate is giving me the competitive edge I was still craving.”
Luckily for his family, and his competitors too, Johnson will not be ‘getting back on that horse’ anytime soon — no matter how much he wants to.
Much like Fehily, Johnson has plans to expand his operation further, which will have his former on-track rivals wincing.
They dominated in the saddle, and they are starting to dominate out of it too.
Maybe you can teach an old dog new tricks after all.
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