Hughes set for five-week stint at Dubai Carnival

Hughes set for five-week stint at Dubai Carnival

Two-time British champion jockey Richard Hughes is set to have an extended

stay in Dubai this season as he bids to snap up some high-class rides on Dubai

World Cup day. The Dublin man, who says he would love to ride a winner on the

world's richest day of racing, plans to spend five weeks of the Dubai World Cup

Carnival based at Meydan Racecourse.

"The racing at the Dubai World Cup Carnival is second to none and there's no

doubt that come March this is where you want to be," he said while in Dubai last

weekend. "Riding a winner in the Carnival is like riding 100 winners in the

U.K., so I've decided have a five-week stint here this season."

Hughes may be yet to ride a winner in the Dubai World Cup Carnival, but he

did manage to add a Purebred Arabian Group 2 title as well as his first ever

Meydan victory to his impressive CV on Thursday.

Heading back to his English home by way of the Indian One Thousand Guineas

following his spell in Hong Kong with Newmarket One Thousand Guineas winner, Sky

Lantern, Hughes cemented his top-class riding abilities in the minds of the

United Arab Emirates' trainers by driving Rabbah de Carrere over the line in the

Mazrat al Ruwayyah.

Having hit the front the Majed al Jahouri-trained runner obviously decided he

had done enough and it was only the determination of Hughes that drove the son

of champion race mare Mizzna to the wire ahead of a sustained challenged from

trainer Ernst Oertel's Shayel Aldhabi.

"It's fantastic to get my first winner at Meydan," said Hughes, who had

claimed second place in the Indian Two Thousand Guineas on Sunday aboard Circle

of Life trained by former Indian champion jockey Pesi Shroff.

"So many people do and it would be terrible to say that I didn't."

Following time off in January which will be spent with wife Lizzie and

children Harvey and Phoebe on a well-earned holiday in Barbados, master

tactician Hughes will head back to Dubai for February and March.

"I'd love to ride a winner on Dubai World Cup day," said the jockey who will

contest the Indian Derby on February 2 before returning to Dubai. "Most years I

have only had a few rides for my trainer (Richard Hannon) over here but I'll

stay longer this time. It's a good spot for me as well because I like my golf

and it's probably the best place in the world for golf.

"It's going to be great to spend some time with the family and recharge the

batteries after the season I've had," he said. "Obviously, it does help when

Richard Hannon is doing so well but my season went from strength to strength

really. It's been hard work but I'm not afraid of hard work. Mind you, a lot of

fellas work hard and don't get the breaks I've had, so I know how lucky I am."

Hughes, who pares his 5 foot, 9 inch frame down to weights below 55 kilograms

(8.6 stone) and turns 41 in January, said he has never been happier in his work.

And it's no wonder Hughes is a happy man.

His second season as Britain's champion jockey featured a number of career

highlights including his first British classic courtesy of Sky Lantern in the

Guineas followed by a second British classic a month later with Talent in the

Epsom Oaks. Royal Ascot's Coronation Stakes also fell to Hughes and Sky Lantern

while Toronado took out the Sussex Stakes and Olympic Glory claimed the Queen

Elizabeth II Stakes under the jockey's guidance. His total of 208 winners made

Hughes the first jockey to ride more than 200 winners in a British flat season

since Kieren Fallon in 2003. 

"I feel great and my weight has never been better," he said. "Riding is my

job and I can't wait to get to work every day. Of course managing your weight is

easier when things are going well and it's much easier now that I am not

drinking any more. I might be turning 41 next year, but I feel as good as I did

at 21. When you are turning up to ride horses like Toronado and Sky Lantern it's

a huge boost for a jockey."

Richard Hannon Sr., Hughes' father-in-law as well as his main employer, is

set to hand over his hugely successful training operation to his son, Richard

Jr., in a matter of days. Yet the jockey, who had his first ride for Hannon in

1994 aboard the maiden Jacquelina and his first Hannon-trained winner in 1995 at

Royal Ascot courtesy of Sergeyev in the Jersey Stakes, says he expects very

little to change at the Hannons' Marlborough yard.

"It will be a different name and that's it," Hughes said. "I think he will be

sticking round for a bit longer, the only difference would be that he can

finally go for that week's holiday if he feels like it."

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