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No surprise to me that Hughes has brought forward his retirement. From his public utterances he appears bored with the daily grind of riding and wants to move on in becoming a trainer. Stated intention to miss riding days to attend yearling sales even as an observer (said buying yearlings was one of his anxieties) and needs to establish contacts, read sales catalogues and get on with it. Also dynamics of Hannon yard have changed and there are over 100 horses he cannot ride due to retained rider arrangements. Pretty much anything is for sale to Godolphin or Sheikh Joann’s Qatar outfit at the right price. Olympic Glory, Toronado, Night of Thunder plus juveniles Log Out Island and King of Rooks all sold and Tormoore joined the list in the week. Good for Hannon and his owners but not so good for Hannon’s number one rider who loses the ride. I’m sure this contributed to his early retirement. Lots of haters posting on other sites but personally I wish him well as a trainer and hope he makes a go of it where other top flat jocks failed. Anyone who backed him for Rod Street’s bastardised jockey championship was IMO a mug who wasn’t listening to what he was saying.
I’m slightly disappointed and thought he would see out the season especially as he is not too far behind in the championship table and still plenty of good races and prize money to be had. I think it’s been a frustrating time for him with the good horses being sold to the big boys with their own riders and I don’t think he fully got over that fall on Mars in Dubai when afterwards he didn’t quite seem to fit into that perfect wine glass position he use to do. Best of luck to him in his training career, he was brought up with horses and I’m sure he would of learnt a hell of a lot from Dessie and that in itself should stand him in good stead of making a real fist of it.
Blackbeard to conquer the World
Anyone who backed him for Rod Street’s bastardised jockey championship was IMO a mug who wasn’t listening to what he was saying.
That’s a bit harsh, Nathan. Wasn’t too long ago he had his name and imaged plastered down the side of a Stobart’s “Jockey Champs” 60 foot. “I have made it clear from the start I wont be giving up my title without a fight”, etc.
Grew tired of his all or nothing style many moons ago.
But good luck to him all the same.
Hope Pat Dobbs gets the main job. Like his unflustered style in the saddle.
I didn’t write that Cav it was the opening poster.
I backed him a few times when he drifted out. Thought he should have been long odds on as thought he’d be a long time out the saddle and would go hell for leather for the title with his training career having plenty of time to get started and didn’t see the rush.
signed NHughes Rod Street’s bastardised jockey championship Richard Hughes backing mug…..
Blackbeard to conquer the World
He wasn’t anywhere near a great jockey, but he was a good one , and a multiple champion too.
His retirement, leaves, in my opinion, the greatest dearth in decent jockeys since I started following the sport. There isn’t a current jockey (Moore included) who would be in the top 5 in the 80s.
Sad really, but true.He wasn’t anywhere near a great jockey, but he was a good one , and a multiple champion too.
His retirement, leaves, in my opinion, the greatest dearth in decent jockeys since I started following the sport. There isn’t a current jockey (Moore included) who would be in the top 5 in the 80s.
Sad really, but true.I disagree with that.
Moore would hold his own in any era. With the exception of Piggott of course and the brilliant Steve Cauthen I think nostalgia makes the jockeys of the 80’s better than they actually were, especially Eddery and Carson. Just my opinion of course.
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Coggy wrote:</div>
He wasn’t anywhere near a great jockey, but he was a good one , and a multiple champion too.
His retirement, leaves, in my opinion, the greatest dearth in decent jockeys since I started following the sport. There isn’t a current jockey (Moore included) who would be in the top 5 in the 80s.
Sad really, but true.I disagree with that.
Moore would hold his own in any era. With the exception of Piggott of course and the brilliant Steve Cauthen I think nostalgia makes the jockeys of the 80’s better than they actually were, especially Eddery and Carson. Just my opinion of course.
Each to their own mate.
I think that in Eddery’s case it is more statistics / record that are more convincing than nostalgia.I missed this one, hence it is a bit late. I had the pleasure of meeting Richard Hughes once at Nottingham a few years back, a true gentleman who made time to talk to a penny punter like me and spoke to me about one of the mounts he rode that day. Personally I wish him all the best in his new career as a trainer and I am sure he will have his fair share of success.
Not a jockey I ever backed with confidence unless in a group race for Hannon Snr or Jnr. I always thought he tended to deliberately get his horse boxed in at times without any idea how to get out when it was needed. A multiple champion, yes but a great jockey, no, not imo.
I think most people here have got Hughes’ place among the modern greats quite accurately nailed-down. He had two or three years of brilliance in his partnership with Richard Hannon, but that felt like the only brief period where he consistently rode to his potential. If you’re judging on raw ability – how good a jockey is at their very best – then Hughes would be right up there. With the sheer amount of racing nowadays, I only hardcore Hughes fans would push him into the all-time greats on that basis.
When Hughes was the retained rider for Prince Khalid, he was a source of frustration for punters in a similar way to Jamie Spencer. Occasionally he’d judge the pace perfectly and weave through to win on a tricky hold-up performer, but he was constantly under-fire for arriving too late, letting front-runners get away and losing on the best horse. Given his later revelations about his alcohol addiction, you can understand why it was a turbulent time without consistency.
For those few years, Hughes was superb for Richard Hannon. He was motivated by a constant flow of major winners, his ‘first-choice’ status was never under threat, the hostility from spectators turned to fawning praise and he had the leg-up on genuine world-class stars like Canford Cliffs. He had beaten his demons and had the Jockeys’ Championship pushing him to ride two meetings a day, with no snobbishness about going to the all-weather.
Hughes certainly hasn’t reverted to the emotional wreck of the Prince Khalid days in the last couple of years. He does seem to have lost most of his motivation, though. His hugely influential father died, retainers within the Hannon yard cost him most of his big winners and he has been devoting energy to preparing for his own yard. I don’t think he has been bad, exactly. Still, many of his rides suggest that he no longer puts in the fanatical form study and preparation that Ryan Moore or Adam Kirby use to inform their tactics.
I am sure Richard Hughes will be a successful trainer. He comes across as very goal-driven and the new venture opens up a whole world of big and small targets. Saddling his first winner, five winners, ten winners…a Listed winner, beating each year’s prize money total, targeting major races and on and on – you never run out of goals until you die.
Good post TYF and interesting you mention his earlier years.
Imagine how good Hughes could of been in those earlier days if he was as focused as he was in the latter years. Being an alcoholic would affect anyone’s job let alone one watching and obsessed with his weight. Add in the relationship trouble from shagging anything with a pulse and it’s amazing he got to where he did.Blackbeard to conquer the World
Excellent post from TYF.
I fell back in love with racing four or five years ago.
When I did, Hughes and Moore were clearly the best around.
Since then, to my eyes, Moore has relentlessly got even better whereas Hughes has been in decline.
Time for him to retire and become a trainer – but so like renaissance man Dettori’s prediction that Hughes will be hard to ride for.
I disagree with this who say there are no decent jockeys around and the 1980s were better.
In every sport you can measure – like track athletics – standards get higher and higher.
Racing is no different.
Steve Cauthen broke the UK mould with his brilliant judgement of pace – he regularly made the far more instinctive horseman Pat Eddery look stupid – but he set the template for this to follow.
Dettori’s judgement of pace is generally excellent as has been that of many who followed.
I have numerous favourite jockeys at present and many of those are claimers.
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It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"Does anyone know where his training establishment is ?
He is moving in to Ken Cunningham Brown’s establishment at Danebury, Hants
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