VERY many congratulations to Brian Hughes, who joined an exclusive club at Perth on Saturday when recording his 2,000th jumps success.
The historic win came in the three-mile handicap hurdle on the five-year-old Sir Percy mare Dolly Dior, who was bringing up a double on the day for both Hughes and her trainer Patrick Neville.
The former three-time champion jockey has an affinity with Perth where he recorded a 200th seasonal victory in 2022, where he rode a 200th track winner in April and where he returned from a five-month enforced lay-off in early June. Having matched the feat of Ruby Walsh, Richard Johnson and fellow Northern Ireland-born Tony McCoy, Hughes was greeted in the winner’s enclosure by fellow jockeys and other weigh-room colleagues, who formed a guard of honour as he returned to weigh-in.
Interviewed by Racing TV’s Gordon Brown, the 41-year-old Co Armagh native reflected on his career to date, one he has no intention of retiring from anytime soon, as long as owners and trainers want to use him.
Lot of luck
“Obviously, you dream you could ride that many winners, but you have to have a lot of luck and help along the way and take your opportunities when you get them...
“...I would like a couple of those bigger signature races, but I’m not going to be hanging up the boots any time soon.
“I still quite enjoy it and don’t have any weight problems, so as long as I’m enjoying it and I’m fit and healthy and people want to use me, I’ll keep going.
“A lot of my friends have been retired for different reasons through bad injuries, I’ve been relatively lucky with injuries and the bones I have broken.
“As AP once said, if you don’t think you are going to end up in the back of an ambulance you are a fool, because you are going to. That is part and parcel of this game, but I’ve been lucky that the injuries haven’t been too severe.
Worst injury
“The end of last season was the worst injury I had in my whole career, I was stuck for five months and I wasn’t the best patient in the world.
“It has taken a bit of time to get my fitness up and get everything back going, but it’s not far away from where it should be.”
On Wednesday, Hughes had three rides at Worcester, where he won the extended two-mile handicap chase on the Micky Hammond-trained Getaway Jewel.
ANDY Oliver’s horses are certainly in good form of late and two of them visited the winner’s enclosure in the past week.
The first was the Robert Whearty-partnered Copper Craft who, in the trainer’s own colours, landed the concluding extended 10-furlong handicap at Dundalk last Saturday. Ronan Whelan wore the same colours to victory at the Curragh the following afternoon on Oliver’s Fighting Tears, a Lucky Vega filly who won the six-furlong two-year-old maiden on her debut.
Another owner/trainer to saddle a recent winner was Pat Collins, whose trip down to Tramore paid off when Small Bucks, a five-year-old by The Gurka, won Friday’s extended two-mile mares’ handicap hurdle.
Back to Dundalk where the BAR 1 Betting “Download Our App” Mourne Handicap over six furlongs was won by the Adam Caffrey-ridden 7/2 favourite Dark Ace who is trained by Ado McGuinness for the now Co Louth-based Cyril McMullan plus Jim Fairhurst and Damian McCann. McMullan.
Nap despair
Here, am going to moan about my neighbour McGuinness (and by association Caffrey), whose own horse, Comfort Line, got up at the Curragh last Sunday to beat my 12/1 Nap, Avec Grand Plaisir, by a neck - that defeat coming a week after my 33/1 Nap, Final Voyage, had been beaten half a length at the same track!
Because of the spellings, I was nearly not going to mention the McCracken Farms-bred three-year-old filly Assaranca (Ghaiyyath - Hansiya, by Dark Angel), who recorded her third career win in a seven-furlong handicap at Newbury last Friday.
Unintentionally, as am having tech issues as I write this column, I might leave out a local winning jockey or three.
The only home-based rider on my list, Dylan Browne McMonagle, partnered a winner at Cork on Friday, one at the Curragh on Sunday, one at Roscommon on Tuesday and one over at York on Wednesday.
Orr treble
Based over in England, it was another good week for Oisin Orr, who recorded a treble at Ripon on Saturday and single winners at Pontefract on Sunday, Catterick on Monday and Wolverhampton on Tuesday. Paddy Bradley rode two winners at Lingfield on Tuesday, while there were wins also at the same track in the period under review for Darragh Keenan and Patsy Cosgrave. Kyle McHugh was on the mark at Southwell on Sunday.
Apart from the elsewhere-mentioned Brian Hughes, it has been a quiet time on the jumps front for local jockeys, but Downpatrick native Danny McMenamin visited the winner’s enclosure at Market Rasen last Saturday.
GATES open at 2.30pm next Friday, August 28th, for the Musgrave NI Race Evening at Down Royal, with the first race due off two hours later. The feature race on the card is the Denny Hurdle over three miles.
The following Monday is a Bank Holiday in Northern Ireland but, more importantly, it’s Ladies’ Day at Downpatrick, where they are once again running their popular Most Appropriately Dressed Lady and Best Dressed Gentleman competitions.
Looking further ahead, but going back to Down Royal where, in partnership with Women In Racing Ireland, they are offering an exclusive owners’ experience in a private corporate box on Friday, September 4th.
The day begins with a tour of Hillsborough Castle, following which there will be a relaxed lunch at the award-winning gastropub The Plough in Hillsborough. You will enjoy the full VIP treatment: exclusive parade ring access, a pre-race briefing with trainer and jockey, private box viewing, and post-race analysis.
The cost is €15 for WinR members and €30 for non-member. See the Women in Racing Ireland Facebook page for further details.
Endurance ride date
IF you’re planning on riding an ex-racehorse, your hunter or child’s pony, be mindful that the closing date for entries for the St Patrick’s Coast Endurance Ride, which starts and finishes at Downpatrick racecourse on Saturday, September 5th, is midnight on Tuesday, September 1st.
All details regarding the length of rides on offer and the type of terrain being covered can be found on the Ride’s Facebook page, but remember, that as your intended mount - whatever it is - will be entering a licensed racecourse, its passport must show up-to-date ‘flu vaccinations.
Keep Saintfield ride in the notebook
YES, it’s very early to be mentioning you know what but our good friend Joan Cunningham has been in touch to ask us to ask you to take note that the 20th anniversary of the Saintfield Christmas Charity Ride will take place on Saturday, December 5th.
“Our very first ride took place in 2007 with the simple but heartfelt aim of raising funds for Ugandan orphans through Rock Ministries Northern Ireland Trust. Many of these children had lost one or both parents to AIDS and were living in extremely difficult circumstances and countless young lives have been transformed.
“For many years we proudly continued to support Rock Ministries Northern Ireland Trust until its dedicated trustees, Phyllis and Ian Hasson, retired. Along the way, many other charities and worthy causes have also benefited from the generosity of everyone involved in the Ride.