Richard Johnson

Born: 21 July 1977 Place of birth: Hereford Height/weight: 5ft 6"/10st First winner: 1994 Big-race wins: Gold Cup, Champion Chase, Champion Hurdle. 2003-04 winners: 186 2002-03 winners: 146 2001-02 winners: 132

Johnson has scored a century of winners in each of the past eight seasons but has ridden in the shadow of perennial champion Tony McCoy.

The Englishman was conditional champion in 1995/96 but has been runner-up in the title race proper to McCoy for the past seven seasons.

Johnson's cause has not been helped by injuries, notably two broken legs in the space of nine months.

But with a regular supply of winners from Philip Hobbs, Henry Daly and Richard Phillips, he could yet land the elusive title.

And having become the second-youngest jumps rider (behind McCoy, inevitably) to notch up 1,000 winners (a feat just eight other men have achieved), time is on his side.

Johnson does beat McCoy in the fame stakes, thanks to a past relationship with Princess Anne's daughter, Zara Phillips.

The romance resulted in appearances in celebrity magazines and on the front pages of newspapers as well as the back.