Richard Hughes

Big talking point in British racing circles today is the sudden decision of Richard Hughes to retire from race riding with immediate effect. He anounced this last night at Kempton after being given a 10 day ban by the stewards for whip abuse, following a 5 day ban earlier in the week, as a result of the new whip rules which came into effect on Monday. Several other jockeys have also been hit with bans, notably William Buick.

The new whip rules were originally greeted by most jockeys, but this week´s events has seen many of them change their minds. It would come as no surprise to see the rules changed or modified before long. 38-year-old Hughes is the tallest jockey riding in the U.K. and one of the most successful, with well over 1500 winners to his credit, inc,uding numerous top events. His partnership with champion trainer Richard Hannon, his father-in-law, has been particularly successful, especially in the big 2yo races. He has 4 rides booked at Haydock today, and more importantly 5 tomorrow at the QIPCO Champions Day at Ascot. It remains to be seen if he will actually be riding at these meetings.