Richard Hughes
Richard Hughes described himself as “hugely relieved” after Ryan Moore handed him a third consecutive jockeys’ title after he ended his domestic campaign a day earlier than expected when giving up his rides at Lingfield on Tuesday.
Despite 18 days of the turf season in Britain remaining, Moore is off to Australia to ride Adelaide in Saturday’s Cox Plate, before heading to the United States for the Breeders’ Cup and finally Japan.
Confirming that Moore will not ride again in Britain this season, his agent Tony Hind said: “Today would have been his last day. He just wasn’t feeling 100 per cent right this morning. He felt a little bit under the weather and said he couldn’t commit 100 per cent to the rides he was booked for.”
Champion in 2012 and 2013, Hughes has spent much of the season playing catch-up after Moore made a flying start to the year while he was sidelined with a back injury sustained on Dubai World Cup night.
Hughes said: “It’s a huge relief to go and win it again. It was an uphill battle from the start. I started Guineas weekend a month behind everyone else and Ryan already had twenty-something winners on the board. I said to myself that it’s not mine this year but I’ll work as hard as I can anyway.”
Moore trailed Hughes by five winners going into Tuesday’s racing and gave up his two intended mounts.
Following the news, Paddy Power and Betfred announced they will be paying out early on Hughes.
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