Richard Hughes (jockey)

Richard Hughes (born 11 January 1973) is an Irish flat jockey who most commonly rides in Great Britain. Born in Dublin, he is the son of successful National Hunt trainer, Dessie Hughes. Hughes was British flat racing Champion Jockey in 2012^[1] and retained that title in 2013 when he rode more than 200 winners in the season.

Riding career

Hughes started pony racing aged seven, having his first win aboard Chestnut Lady in a six furlong race at Wexford.^[2] His first ride in the senior ranks was in a six furlong maiden at Naas on 19 March 1988, on a debutant called Scath Na Greine. He finished tenth.^[2]

Hughes' main provider of rides has been trainer Richard Hannon who is also his father in law and from 2001 to 2007 he was also retained by the owner Prince Khalid Abdullah. Hughes is 5'10" in height, very tall for a flat jockey. This means he has to maintain his weight significantly below natural levels, even for a jockey. Hughes' larger natural size means he cannot ride horses carrying light weights, reducing his winning opportunities. Richard Hughes is respected for his riding style of 'nursing' horses along, getting horses to respond and run into the race without appearing to physically ride them hard.^{[citation needed]}

In October 2011, Hughes received a five-day ban for hitting race-horse More Than Words too many times with the whip inside the final furlong in a race at Kempton. The ban was the first of its kind to be implemented after a change in the rules regarding horse welfare. On 13 October 2011, it was announced that Hughes was giving up his racing licence and quitting the sport out of protest at the ban.^[3]

Hughes did not follow up on this threat and on the 15 October 2012 he equaled Frankie Dettori's record of winning 7 races in a single meeting by winning 7 out of 8 races at Windsor Racecourse.^[4][5][6] The following month, he claimed his first British flat racing Champion Jockey title with 172 winners over the season.^{[7][8][9][10]}

In May 2013, after a long wait, he won his first British Classic on Sky Lantern in the 1,000 Guineas. He then won his second a month later on Talent in the Oaks. On the 21st June 2013, he won the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot on 1000 guineas winner Sky Lantern. At the end of the 2013 British flat racing Hughes was crowned Champion Jockey for the second consecutive season. His total of 208 winners made him the first jockey to ride more than 200 winners in a British flat season since Kieren Fallon in 2003.^[11]

Personal life

Hughes is married and has a son and a daughter. Outside of racing he enjoys playing a lot of golf.

British career wins

^[12]

• 1996 1
• 1997 29
• 1998 53
• 1999 89
• 2000 102
• 2001 91
• 2002 126
• 2003 121
• 2004 73
• 2005 124
• 2006 113
• 2007 139
• 2008 127
• 2009 144
• 2010 192
• 2011 130
• 2012 174
• 2013 208

Major wins

Great Britain

• 1,000 Guineas - (1) - Sky Lantern (2013)
• Cheveley Park Stakes – (1) – Indian Ink (2006)
• Coronation Stakes – (2) – Indian Ink (2007), Sky Lantern (2013)
• Epsom Oaks – (1) – Talent (2013)
• Falmouth Stakes – (1) – Music Show (2010)
• Haydock Sprint Cup – (1) – Tante Rose (2004)
• July Cup – (1) – Oasis Dream (2003)
• King's Stand Stakes – (1) – Piccolo (1995)
• Lockinge Stakes – (2) – Paco Boy (2010), Canford Cliffs (2011)
• Nassau Stakes – (1) – The Fugue (2012)
• Nunthorpe Stakes – (1) – Oasis Dream (2003)
• Queen Anne Stakes – (2) – Paco Boy (2009), Canford Cliffs (2011)
• Queen Elizabeth II Stakes - (1) - Olympic Glory (2013)
• St. James's Palace Stakes – (1) – Canford Cliffs (2010)
• Sussex Stakes – (2) – Canford Cliffs (2010), Toronado (2013)

France

• Critérium de Saint-Cloud – (1) – Passage of Time (2006)
• Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud – (1) – Youmzain (2008)
• Poule d'Essai des Poulains – (1) – American Post (2004)
• Poule d'Essai des Pouliches – (1) – Zenda (2002)
• Prix du Cadran – (1) – Invermark (1998)
• Prix de Diane – (1) – Nebraska Tornado (2003)
• Prix d'Ispahan – (1) – Observatory (2001)
• Prix Jean-Luc Lagardère – (2) – American Post (2003), Olympic Glory (2012)
• Prix Jean Prat – (1) – Dick Turpin (2010)
• Prix du Moulin de Longchamp – (1) – Nebraska Tornado (2003)

India

• Bangalore Derby – (1) – Moonlight Romance (2010 - Summer season)
• Indian 1,000 Guineas – (1) – Jacqueline (2009)
• Indian 2,000 Guineas – (4) – Smart Chieftain (1999), Autonomy (2008), Jacqueline (2009), Ocean And Beyond (2010), Pronto Pronto (2011)
• Indian Derby – (2) – Smart Chieftain (2000), Jacqueline (2010)
• Indian Oaks – (2) – Jacqueline (2010), Moonlight Romance (2011)

Ireland

• Goffs Million – (2) – Soul City (2008), Lucky General (2009)
• Irish 2,000 Guineas – (1) – Canford Cliffs (2010)
• Matron Stakes - (1) - Tadwiga (1998)
• Moyglare Stud Stakes - (1) - Sky Lantern (2012)

Italy

• Derby Italiano – (1) – Bahamian Knight (1996)
• Gran Premio d'Italia – (1) – Posidonas (1995)
• Premio Vittorio di Capua – (1) – Mistle Cat (1996)

• Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf - (1) - Chriselliam (2013)

See also

• List of jockeys

References

External links

• Profile - Richard Hughes BBC Sport, 23 April 2004
• Hughes breaks with Abdullah to ride as freelance The Independent, 22 October 2007
• Collected Articles at the Guardian
• Richard Hughes - Statistics Racing Post
• People in Racing: Richard Hughes (flat) British Horseracing Authority
• Richard Hughes talks candidly to BBC Sport's Mick Fitzgerald BBC Sport 22 June 2012