LAST November I was chatting to the champion jump jockey Richard Johnson at one of our race meetings.

I asked him whether he worked with any of the country’s racecourses in an ambassadorial role. When he said ‘no’ it didn’t take me long to ask if he wanted to work with Chepstow.

So on January 1st this year, Richard became our ambassador. This involves meeting our customers on race days, writing a weekly blog, appearing at certain racecourse functions and a range of other duties. Later this year we will be holding a dinner where he will be interviewed about his career.

And what a career he’s having. Last Friday, he won the Cheltenham Gold Cup for the 2nd time. He gave the 2016 Coral Welsh Grand National winner Native River a terrific front running ride to defeat Might Bite in a race where the front two horses dominated throughout.

When we interviewed Richard a week before the Gold Cup, he said he wouldn’t swap Native River for any other horse in the race. He was proved right.

It’s a long time since his first winner aboard Rusty Bridge at Hereford in 1994. He has now ridden more than 3000 winners and would have been champion jockey for 18 years if a certain AP McCoy hadn’t been born! He was runner-up to McCoy 16 years in succession.

As well as the Cheltenham Gold Cup, he has won the other three big races at the festival - the Queen Mother Champion Chase, the Stayers’ Hurdle and the Champion Hurdle. Of the jockeys riding today, only Barry Geraghty and Ruby Walsh have matched this feat.

The one race that eluded him is the Aintree Grand National where he has had 20 rides without success, although he does have two runner-up positions to his name on What’s Up Boys in 2002 and Balthazar King in 2014. Maybe he can go one better on April 14th this year.

All being well, Richard will be riding with us at Chepstow this week when we have a two-day meeting on Wednesday 21st and Thursday 22nd March. On Wednesday, Newport County are sponsoring all the races, bringing the players and a large number of hospitality guests. They have had a great year, including a superb run in the FA Cup, and we are delighted to be working with them.

Hopefully the weather is going to warm up for Easter when we host Max Boyce on Good Friday and then our biggest ever Family Race Day on Easter Monday when the one and only Mr Maker from children’s TV will be entertaining everyone alongside seven races.