Brian Hughes' fine season in the saddle

One interesting result of horse racing’s jumps season being cut short because of the coronavirus pandemic is that Brian Hughes was awarded the Champion Jockey title for the first time in his career. The accolade, which had been held by Richard Johnson for the last four years, and Tony McCoy for 20 successive years before that, now has a new champion, with Hughes’ 141 wins over the course of the 2019-20 season enough to land the prize.

While Hughes would no doubt have preferred to finish the season and claim the prize in the truest manner, his performances over the past year or so have more than warranted his spot at the top of the winners’ list. Hughes may not be the biggest name in sport – he doesn’t even have a Wikipedia entry – but within horse racing, everyone is well aware of his supreme talents and will be delighted for him after this success.

"Perhaps it has been a little bit of an anti-climax in the way the official news has come but it is what it is and I am still very proud,” said Hughes. "I can't wait to get back out riding again. It looks like it might be July now but we will just have to be patient.”

Hughes’ professionalism is clear to see and is one of the main reasons he enjoyed such a successful campaign. But the diligence that defines his conduct is matched by a fine natural talent. You can’t win 141 races in a year without demonstrating that you have the technical acumen along with the guts and hard work required to reach the pinnacle of a sport.

These talents were evidenced throughout the year, as Hughes scored numerous high-profile victories, with success following success all the way through the campaign. Punters would look for his name in the racecards when it came to tipping winners, as the relatively unknown jockey slowly built his reputation. For much of the season he was locked in a titanic tussle with the four-time reigning champion Johnson, but a broken arm suffered by him meant that Hughes was able to seize the initiative.  

This accolade means he joins a rich list of past winners, which includes Johnson and, of course, McCoy, widely regarded as the greatest jumps jockey of all time. While Hughes has a long way to go before he can be considered in such glowing terms, it’s a fine achievement when you consider the pedigree of other riders on the list. Hughes was quick to mention this fact when it was announced that he had won the prize.

“AP was a hell of a lot better jockey than me,” he said, “so is Richard Johnson. I am humbled to be mentioned in the same sentence as them but I am immensely proud to be going down in the history books as champion jockey. They are legends of the sport and I don't see myself as a legend."

In those words lies a clue to Hughes success. There is a modesty that underpins his actions on and off the racecourse, a sense of humility in perfect balance with confidence in his own abilities. There is a risk that in the midst of these unprecedented times for horse racing, and sport in general, Hughes’ achievement is glossed over slightly. His task now is to make sure that doesn’t happen, to carve a legacy akin to that of the other greats who have won the title before him.