Forget title chase Richard Johnson, says Adrian Maguire

Richard Johnson should forget about ever being champion jump jockey, according to the man widely regarded as being the greatest rider never to win the title.

Nearly-man Johnson needs one more victory to record a remarkable 2,000th career success.

Former weighing-room colleague Adrian Maguire believes that in any other era 'Dickie' would be hailed as one of Britain's greatest sportsmen.

Johnson has been perpetually in the shadow of Tony McCoy, who reached 3,000 winners earlier this year, and has finished runner-up in the championship on 11 occasions.

Maguire, who was on the wrong end of punishing title races with Richard Dunwoody in their heyday, believes Johnson will never get the credit he deserves, even when he becomes only the second man to reach the milestone, as he surely will.

Maguire, who is now a successful trainer in his native Ireland, said: "I never worried about being called the best rider never to win the title and I'm sure that Richard won't bother with such talk either.

"He is such a very consistent and dedicated rider. While Tony McCoy quite rightly gets the recognition, Richard will never get enough, particularly if Tony continues to stay healthy. If he does, it is hard to see Richard becoming champion jockey.

"Yet Richard is one of the fittest jockeys going. Along with that he is a model professional and one of the nicest people you could wish to meet. No one can say a bad word about him."