Racing: New Zealand champion jockey Chris Johnson speaks after failing breathalyzer test at Riccarton race meeting

Champion jockey Chris Johnson is convinced he wasn’t drunk when he dropped out of the race for failing a breathalyzer test at Riccarton on Saturday.

But the 56-year-old on the verge of setting a new record for domestic wins by a New Zealand jockey says he will not discuss the test results which will almost certainly see him suspended for at least a month.

Johnson underwent a breathalyzer after finishing third in the first race at Riccarton and says his level was 145 mcg, dropping to 130 mcg for his next test 10 minutes later.

While the manager of the Career Integrity Unit in charge of the meeting, John Oatham, did not confirm Johnson’s exact readings, he said Johnson’s claims were close enough to being accurate.

While a motor vehicle driver over the age of 20 is considered under the limit up to 250 mcg, for riders participating in races or tests that limit is 100 mcg, so the stewards had no choice but to decline. to Johnson.

Johnson isn’t discussing his actions or the readings, but the once imperfect racing genius from New Zealand says he hadn’t had much the night before and he definitely hadn’t had on race day.

“I had a few Friday night, a couple of beers and some bourbons, but nothing serious. I was in bed at 11 at night,” says Johnson, who has battled alcoholism in the past.

“The problem was, I wasn’t eating. I was wasting (trying to lose weight quickly) to be able to ride a couple of 54kg horses, so I didn’t have dinner on Friday night or breakfast on Saturday.

“And I spent an hour at the spa to lose weight in the morning, so when I got to the races I must have had alcohol still in my system, but I was definitely not drunk or drunk.

“I actually drove the truck to the races because it was okay.”

Johnson, who tested positive for cannabis at a test meeting in 2016 and was suspended for eight weeks, went off the rails when he drank in the past, nearly ruining the career of one of the most naturally talented cyclists in New Zealand history.

He never hides from that reality and has sought help for his struggles and just one year after his drug suspension in 2016, he fought to win the position of national horseman.

Now he needs just 11 more wins to get past David Walsh and take the most wins of a New Zealand jockey, with Walsh’s record of 2,451 wins.

Having fought the demon before Johnson says he has left his wild nights behind.

“I know what it’s like to go with those benders and screw up and I don’t do that anymore. Those days are gone.

“I still enjoy a drink, but I don’t take it hard and this was definitely not a case of that.

“I’m not saying the (breathalyzer) machine is wrong, so I’ll probably plead guilty and get suspended.

“But I’m not going anywhere. I’m going to keep riding and break that record.”

Respected trainer John Parsons, for whom Johnson works part-time and runs a lot in races, says he traveled to races with Johnson and saw no indication that he was drunk.

“It was okay to look at him and talk to him, and if it had been a road alcohol test, it wouldn’t even be a factor,” Parsons said.

“Chris spends a lot of time with us and he seems fine, his drinking has not been a problem,” says Parsons, a renowned sniper.

Senior Delegate Oatham says the unusual decision to test Johnson after the first race, rather than at the start of the day, was at the delegate’s discretion and not due to a complaint from any other industry participant.

Oatham said Johnson was willing to cooperate and that although he would not be lured by a likely penalty. Suspensions of one month or six weeks have tended to be the norm for failed breathalyzer tests in races and trials.