No fairytale ending for Hughes Richard Hughes was out of luck at Glorious Goodwood as the three-times champion jockey retired from the saddle to embark on a training career. Afforded a guard of honour by his weighing-room colleagues before racing, Hughes had six rides on the final afternoon of a meeting that has been so kind to him over the years. Having ridden his first winner in 1998, the long-time stalwart of the Richard Hannon yard had intended to bow out at the end of the season, but the demands of what will be needed in terms of training led to him bringing forward his decision. Just denied by Frankie Dettori when riding Barnet Fair in the opener, Hughes' final mount came in the seven-furlong Qatar Stakes on Fox Trotter for Brian Meehan. Typically given a patient ride at the rear of the field, the top-weight made rapid progress with two furlongs to run but could not quite get to the leaders and had to settle for a close fourth, as Enlace took the spoils. After a career that spanned 27 years, Hughes, 42, leaves the saddle with 31 Royal Ascot winners, two British Classics, numerous other Group One successes and a reputation as one of the most stylish jockeys of his generation. Hughes' wife Lizzie said: "It's sad that it's come to an end, it's the end of an era. "A jockey's life is a great life, but everything has to come to an end and you can't go on forever. "He has found it tougher than he thought he would (retiring), now the hard graft really starts, but we're ready to do it." Hughes said: "I've enjoyed it. I've been very lucky to have some good people behind me. I love this track and hopefully I'll find a horse good enough to run here. "Hopefully it's onwards and upwards from here."
