Brian Hughes | Horse Racing Free Tips

RACE In Disarray After 21 Job Losses And Jockeys’ Course Scrapped

The Racing Academy and Centre of Education (RACE), which has produced luminaries of the saddle like Johnny Murtagh, Seamie Heffernan, Chris Hayes and Shane Foley, has been forced to cull two thirds of its workforce in order to save the institution's future.

A massive 21 of the 31 staff have been told they are no longer needed at RACE and the decision is understood to have come as a major shock to the workforce.

The 10-month residential trainee jockey course, which has also been completed by top-notch jump jockeys such as Brian Hughes and Daryl Jacob, has been discontinued and replaced by three courses over shorter periods. In the case of all three new courses, the students will no longer live on the campus and the courses will no longer have an academic element.

The restructuring of the facility has been overseen by Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) and comes after accommodation blocks at RACE were closed last month due to safety concerns.

HRI appointed an interim CEO at RACE when such issues arose and, following a strict overhaul, just 10 staff will remain.

RACE is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, but the future of the esteemed programme will look very different given students will no longer be based on site and the traditional jockeys' course has now been scrapped.

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British NH Champions Named At Sandown

Trainer Paul Nicholls was awarded his 14th British Champion NH Trainer award, when the end-of-season champions were named at Sandown Park on Saturday. He is sitting on 3,582 British jump winners to date. Nicholls is eyeing the longstanding records of Martin Pipe, who accumulated 15 Champion Jump Trainer championships, and also saddled 4,183 winners under both codes.

“It's been a fantastic season with some fantastic horses that have been very consistent all through the campaign and we are obviously thrilled,” said Nicholls. “It reflects very well on the whole team and everyone involved that we've had a 28% strike rate right through from October until now, which is the best we've ever achieved.”

Bravemansgame (Fr) (Brave Mansonnien {Fr}), as well as Cheltenham Festival winners Stay Away Fay (Ire) (Shantou) and Stage Star (Ire) (Fame And Glory {Ire}), where some of the leading lights of the stable during the season.

“We want to compete at the highest level and we're getting there again,” the trainer added. “It's like with a football team–they might win the Premiership and then go away for four or five years before coming back. It's all about the players on the team.”

JP McManus, who won his 20th Irish Champion Owner title this year, earned his 15th British Champion Jumps Owner award. Later in the day, his Under Control (Fr) (Doctor Dino {Fr}) won the bet365 Novices' Championship Final Handicap Hurdle.

Brian Hughes won the Champion NH Jockey title for the third time with 165 winners. He is already focusing on attempting a fourth title, and beating his tally of 204 winners during the 2021-2022 season. His family was on hand at the racecourse on Saturday.

“There's a bus load at Sandown,” the jockey said, regarding his family and friends who traveled to watch the presentation. “I organised for a bus to take all the family down there. There's my wife and kids and then her parents and my parents and plenty of others, so logistically it seemed the right thing to do. It's a long way to go in cars and getting on a bus together takes the stress away.

“Everything was behind closed doors when I won my first title, but the welcome I got last year was great. I'm not really one for fanfare or anything like that, but my family had a good day.”

Luca Morgan was named the Champion Conditional Jockey. Morgan rode 45 winners through the 2022-2023 season for his boss, trainer Ben Pauling.

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UK National Hunt Champions Crowned At Sandown

The 2021/22 UK Jumps Champions were crowned during the bet365 Jump Finale at Sandown Park on Saturday.

Brian Hughes, who became only the fourth NH jockey to ride a double century of winners in a season, was named the UK Champion Jumps Jockey for a second time. His win total sits at 204, 99 ahead of Sam Twiston-Davies in second.

Hughes, who won the title in 2019/20 said, “It is something at the start of the season I set out to try and do and it is great that it has come. I've never thought it was signed and sealed and I never wanted to let any sort of complacency set in. I just wanted to keep my head down and keep doing what I have done all season, so I haven't ever accepted that it was happening until it did.”

The Champion Conditional Jockey was Kevin Brogan. Trainer Paul Nicholls and owner JP McManus were once again awarded year-end titles by earnings-their 13th and 15th, respectively.

“It's been tougher [to win the big races] this year but every year is tough. In recent years I've either been neck and neck with Willie [Mullins] or Nicky, but this year it's a bit more relaxed and I can enjoy the day,” said Nicholls.

“I knew we were going to be quiet at Cheltenham but we had a good Aintree with some nice winners there and the horses are flying again now.

“I might have turned 60 recently, but there are absolutely no thoughts from me about retiring. I love what I'm doing and as long as I'm fit and healthy, I've no plans to cut back–I love it.”

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