HEREFORDSHIRE jockey Richard Johnson had a Cheltenham to remember over the weekend as he rode seven winners at the three-day Open meeting, including a treble on the Sunday, culminating in the final race of the meeting when steering Definitely Red to victory in the "High Sheriff Of Gloucestershire's" National Hunt flat race.

Garde La Victoire’s all the way win in the feature stanjames.com Greatwood Hurdle on the Sunday was sandwiched between victories for Dunraven Storm and Definitly Red. This was his second Cheltenham treble of the weekend following Friday’s heroics which were capped by old favourite Balthazar King winning in the Cross Country chase.

This continued his incredible domination of the meeting alongside his long-time trainer, Minehead-based Philip Hobbs.

Johnson, who was only eligible to ride in 17 of the 19 races of the three-day meeting, matched the achievement of his great rival Tony McCoy, who had won seven races at the meeting in 2001. Johnson using the experience of previous meetings at Cheltenham kept it simple on each of his winners by racing prominently and wide on the rain softened ground.

A jubilant Johnson, before he rode his seventh winner of the meeting in the concluding bumper, said: "It's amazing. To come there thinking you might have one winner is great and anything more than that is a bonus.

Johnson had looked to be good form going into the meeting, with all of his previous mounts benefitting from his confidence but after the smooth win aboard trainer Steve Gollings’ Definitely Red, at 2/1, in the final event, his seventh winner of The Open he had to comment: “This isn’t a dream is it?”