Champagne on ice as Brian Hughes waits to be crowned champion jockey

BRIAN Hughes will have to wait before he is confirmed as the 2019-20 champion jump jockey.
Quoi De Neuf ridden by jockey Brian Hughes after the Betfair Hurdle during Betfair Super Saturday at Newbury Racecourse.Quoi De Neuf ridden by jockey Brian Hughes after the Betfair Hurdle during Betfair Super Saturday at Newbury Racecourse.
Quoi De Neuf ridden by jockey Brian Hughes after the Betfair Hurdle during Betfair Super Saturday at Newbury Racecourse.

Bookmakers have already starting paying out to those who backed the North Yorkshire rider in the title race.

Hughes held a 19-winner leader over defending champion Richard Johnson when racing was suspended on Tuesday as part of sport’s shutdown over coronavirus.

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With the current National Hunt season due to end on April 25, and all racing in abeyance until the end of next month, it is almost certain that Hughes will be crowned champion and become the first Northern-based National Hunt rider to achieve the feat since Jonjo O’Neill 40 years ago.

Four-times champion jockey Richard Johnson.Four-times champion jockey Richard Johnson.
Four-times champion jockey Richard Johnson.

The fact that the current campaign began at the end of last April, and had just a month to run, makes it more likely that the current totals – Hughes had accrued 141 winners from 716 rides – will stand.

But the British Horseracing Authority say no immediate decision will be taken – not least because it is trying to protect the sport from the biggest financial setback since the outbreak of foot-and-mouth in 2001 which led to many meetings, including the Cheltenham Festival, being called off.

A BHA spokesman said: “This is a fast-moving situation and the sport is working collectively to manage the many issues that arise as a result.

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“Decisions as to how the situation affects the jump jockey, trainer and owner championships will be included in that process in due course.”

In the trainer’s title race, Nicky Henderson leads Paul Nicholls by almost £200,000, while JP McManus is unsurprisingly a long way clear in the champion owner table.

Meanwhile, the aforementioned Johnson, champion for the past four years and the weighing room’s pre-eminent ambassador, has spoken about the uncertainty facing the racing industry less than a week after the Cheltenham Festival went ahead.

“It’s a frustrating time for us all – none of us are sure what to expect or knows what is around the corner,” said the 42-year-old who only retuned to the saddle this month after sustaining a broken arm.

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“Last week we enjoyed Cheltenham. It was great to have the Festival – it went smoothly, but things have moved up a gear since then.

“It was reasonably normal. The public were trying to enjoy their day out, and it was a great event, as it is every year. Hand sanitisers were everywhere, and there was lots of advice – we were updated daily by the course doctors to take precautionary measures. It was great to get Cheltenham on. But things have changed over the last few days, and things have changed all the time.”

While there may be no action on the track, Johnson stressed that many in training will still be on the go in the hope that racing can resume as quickly as possible. “All the horses still have to be ridden out – depending on owners if they want to give theirs a period of rest now – but they still have to be kept going,” he added.

“Jockeys have to keep going too. I have about 20 horses at home, so we’ve been busy this morning. But nearly everyone in racing is self-employed, so we just have to hope like the rest of the country that things improve and we can get back to normality as quickly as possible. I’ve a young family and an older mother and father, so I just want everyone to stay safe and get through this outbreak.”

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