Category: Jockeys

Born in Newtownhamilton, County Armagh, but based in Cleveland in the North of England, Brian Hughes won the Jump Jockeys’ Championship for the first time in 2019/20 with 141 winners – 19 ahead of reigning champion Richard Johnson – in a season curtailed by the coronavirus pandemic. Although, in his own words, Hughes had ridden ‘quite a bit’ for Donald McCain in preceding seasons, in May, 2018, he officially became first choice jockey at Bankhouse Stables in Cholmondeley, Cheshire.

Having ridden 24 winners from 93 rides for the yard in 2017/18, Hughes increased his seasonal tally, albeit at a reduced strike rate, to 41 winners from 311 rides in 2018/19. In his title winning season, he did so again, with 43 winners from 222 rides and in 2020/21, when he finished runner-up to Harry Skelton in the Jump Jockeys’ Championship, nonetheless enjoyed his most successful season so far, with 47 winners from 246 rides.

That said, at the time of writing, Brian Hughes leads the 2021/22 Jump Jockeys’ Championship with 73 winners – 29 ahead of nearest rival, Sean Bowen – and is long odds-on to win the jockeys’ title for a second time. In the current season, so far, he has ridden 31 winners from 111 rides for Donald McCain, at a strike rate of 28%; barring accidents, a new seasonal best for the yard looks a formality.

Cobden rode his first Grade 1 winner for Paul Nicholls, Irving in the Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle, in November, 2016, while still a conditional jockey. In fact, he did not ride out his claim until the following February, but went on to win the conditional jockeys’ title in 2016/17. In 2017/18, Cobden rode 76 winners, including 24 for Nicholls; that season he rode two more Grade 1 winners for the now 12-time champion trainer, namely Politologue, in the Betfair Tingle Creek Chase at Ascot in December, 2017, and Diego Du Charmil, in the Doom Bar Maghull Novices’ Chase at Aintree in April, 2018.

Shortly afterwards, Nicholls announced Cobden as his new stable jockey for the forthcoming 2018/19 National Hunt season, replacing Sam Twiston-Davies. In his inaugural season as first-choice jockey at Manor Farm Stables, Cobden rode 109 winners, 84 of which were trained by Nicholls, including four more at Grade 1 level. Cobden missed out on a Grade 1 winner in the curtailed 2019/20 season, but was back in business in 2020/21, winning the MansionBet Challow Novices’ Hurdle at Newbury on Bravesmangame, and the Doom Bar Anniversary 4-Y-O Juvenile Hurdle and Betway Bowl Chase, on the same day, on Monmiral and Clan Des Obeaux, respectively. All three winners were trained by Paul Nicholls, taking Cobden’s career tally for the yard to ten Grade 1 winners.

The short answer is yes, they have; just one, but a landmark victory all the same. In his heyday, Bailey won the Grand National with Mr. Frisk in 1991 and completed the Champion Hurdle – Cheltenham Gold Cup double with Alderbrook and Master Oats in 1995. However, prior to January 23, 2021, he had failed to win another Grade 1 race for 9,444 days, or nearly 26 years. Nevertheless, on that day, he saddled the 9-year-old First Flow, ridden by David Bass, to win the Clarence House Chase at Ascot and record the third Grade 1 victory of his training career.

Reflecting on his success, Bailey said, ‘I was absolutely staggered, to be honest, because we both felt the ground wasn’t going to be soft enough and that if he had finished third he would have done very well. I admit I didn’t expect him to improve like that.’

Winning jockey David Bass also had two previous Grade 1 wins to his name, the Challow Hurdle at Newbury in December, 2015 on Barters Hill and the Neptune Investment Management Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in March, 2017 on Willoughby Court, both trained by Ben Pauling. Bass, who was recently elected Jumps President of the Professional Jockeys’ Association (PJA), began his riding career with the late Richard Phillips, before moving to Nicky Henderson – for whom he won the Swinton Hurdle at Haydock on Eradicate, as a 7lb claimer – and subsequently striking up a fruitful association with Bailey.