Little did the several thousand railbirds on hand at Mahalakshmi Racecourse just after 3:00 p.m. on February 28^th this year realize that they had seen the last ride in India for Richard Hughes, a regular in the country during its winter meetings since 1992/93. Lord Jim, from Pesi Shroff's yard, was his mount and he was favourite but disappointed in the Class 3 handicap. Hughes had been scheduled to pilot a further three horses, including Aquamarine in the Indian Turf Invitation Cup, the next day but rain scuppered those plans and Hughes returned to England with his final visit to India literally "washed-out".

Before dealing with his Indian adventures, his overall career needs to be examined briefly. The son of leading Irish National Hunt trainer Dessie Hughes (who passed away late in 2014), Richard Hughes was born to the saddle. He was riding ponies competitively at the young age of 7, and graduated to the "Flat" as a teenager, being all of fifteen years old when making his debut at Naas in March 1988. It would be another five months before he recorded his first winner, which came at Roscommon aboard Viking Lady, trained by his father.

He served out his apprenticeship in Ireland before relocating across the Irish Sea in search of greater opportunities. In his new home, Hughes steadily climbed the ranks. Having notched up his first century in Britain in 2000, he landed a plum assignment with the Juddmonte operation the following season and sported the Khalid Abdullah silks till 2007. Along the way he met and married Lizzie, the daughter of leading trainer Richard Hannon (Sr.) and became stable jockey for his father in-law, an association that contributed to his officially becoming champion rider for the first time at the age of 39.

Incidentally, sometimes the general public know very little of the persona of a prominent individual. The 5' 10" tall Richard Hughes is fond of "curry" as his favourite food – perhaps that explains his numerous visits to India? He also enjoys a round of golf, and has written a book "A Weight Off My Mind", which chronicles his feats. The book also deals with a low period in his life when he had a "battle with his own mind and body" over issues such as alcoholism and weight-reduction that plagued him for a while and which he heroically overcame.

At the very start of the 2015 season in Britain, where he has been based for some two decades, the Dublin-born Hughes announced that he would retire as a jockey at the end of the year to become a trainer. For some weeks thereafter during the year, he remained on offer at relatively short odds to retain his champion jockey title on the "Flat" in England for the fourth consecutive time. He had annexed the honour in 2012 (with 172 wins), 2013 (with 208 victories – the most in a single season since Frankie Dettori in 1995) and 2014 (with 161 triumphs to his name).

Later in the current season, Hughes concluded that his making a success of his new vocation would depend largely on the calibre of the horses he sent out in 2016, and that he could not ensure that his stable was stocked with the right sort unless he scoured the bloodstock sales – a time-consuming activity which require single-minded attention. Since these sales start in earnest in Europe in August, Hughes had necessarily to concentrate on that task and so could not continue riding – hence on July 17^th, 2015, came the bombshell that he would retire from the saddle altogether at the conclusion of the "Glorious Goodwood" meeting at the end of that month. He will begin his training career in 2016 from an establishment at Stockbridge in Hampshire, about half an hour's drive south from Newbury.

There is no room for sentimentality in horse racing and Hughes' exit, astride Fox Trotter in the 4:55 p.m. race at Goodwood on Saturday, August 1^st, was not accompanied by a Bollywood-style melodrama in which the hero sweeps away all adversity – he finished fourth, beaten by just about 2 lengths! For the record, his ultimate winning bracket was earned in the Betfred Supports Jack Berry House Nursery Stakes the previous day, when he steered home Belvoir Bay for his brother-in-law, Richard Hannon, Jr.

Thus ended the saga of the 42-year-old former "knight of the pigskin", as he dismounted a runner in a competitive event under Rules for the final time, after 27 long years in the saddle. No doubt, in a sense "Hughsie", as he was fondly known, was grateful when he stated the obvious: “A lot of jockeys retire in a hospital bed". He continued: "I am very lucky. It is just a huge relief and I can go on now. It is onwards and upwards to my next job.”

For whatever reason, the English classics proved rather elusive for Hughes and it was not till as recently as 2013 – just over 2 years ago and some 25 years into his riding career – that the resident of the small village of Collingbourne Ducis, Wiltshire, steered Sky Lantern to a well-deserved maiden classic success in the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket in May. He quickly struck again through the medium of  the 20 to 1 Talent in the Oaks at Epsom the following month, but that was it – he did not register another at this level in Britain.

Some of the other top international horses he was associated with include Canford Cliffs, who brought him his lone Irish classic success, Nebraska Tornado, Oasis Dream, Paco Boy, Sole Power, The Fugue, Toronado and Youmzain, and he guided home as many as 31 Royal Ascot winners! The exact number of wins he recorded worldwide is not readily at hand but is well in excess of 2,000 – some sources suggest it is closer to 3,000. These include one grand effort at Windsor in October 2012 which yielded seven victories (from eight rides). Given his pedigree, it is not surprising to learn that Hughes also rode some 30 winners over jumps, including Cockney Lad, who scored in the Irish Champion Hurdle of 1997.

Encomiums to the news of his retirement flowed in from a variety of sources. Most pertinent, one feels, are the comments from fellow riders. After all, they know only too well the trials and tribulations of a leading jockey, what with the plethora of expectations, criticisms, frenzied travelling, not to mention the agony of the sweat box, that accompany life in the saddle – all for a few moments of adulation and glory!

Lester Piggott, whom few would describe as being effusive, placed the matter in perspective when he said: "His style is elegant, his determination is steely and he is always so patient as a rider….It was a pleasure to watch him all these years….Having been a tall jockey myself, I know only too well the challenges that Richard Hughes will have faced."

Although inhabiting something of a parallel universe by making his mark in the jumping game, recently-retired rider A.P. McCoy did not fail to notice this development on the "Flat": “Richard has been a fantastic jockey and a great friend. I am sure he’ll make an even better trainer.”

It's a sentiment that many well-wishers will echo.

Back now to his feats in India:

The solitary ride on that unusually wet afternoon almost six months ago ended a stint that spanned some 22 years, during which Hughes rode in 612 races in the country, bringing home the winner on 148 occasions, for a healthy strike rate of just over 24%.

Like many a budding young Irish jockey who went on to become a famous international star – Mick Kinane comes to mind – Richard Hughes was brought out to India at the instance of Mumbai-based owner, Ikbal Nathani, and it was appropriate therefore that the Irishman steered home his first winner at an Indian racecourse for his patron. This was veteran Syed Shah's ward, It's My Pleasure, on November 28^th, 1992, at Mahalakshmi. Hughsie's last visit to the winner's enclosure in this country was on the same track, also for a veteran schooler, in this case trainer Janardhan Gaekwad, for whom he brought home Reynolds well clear of his rivals in the McDowell's No.1 Platinum Trophy on Indian Derby Day 2014.

In between he delivered the goods astride classic winners such as Smart Chieftan and Jacqueline in the McDowell Indian Derby, Moonlight Romance in the Kingfisher Bangalore Derby, Running Flame, Jacqueline and Moonlight Romance in the Indian Oaks, Jacqueline in the Indian 1000 Guineas, and so on. He excelled in the Indian 2000 Guineas, bringing home a sheaf of winners of that race – Smart Chieftan, Simply Noble, Autonomy, Jacqueline, Ocean And Beyond and Pronto Pronto – the last four in a row between 2008 and 2011.

Of all his rides in India, the one which stands out most in memory is his victorious effort aboard Smart Chieftan in the McDowell Indian Derby of 2000: pocketed on the rail as Ray Of Light was making the best of her way home, Hughes stayed cool as an iceberg despite finding himself in dire straits with less than 400 m. to go. Using his ingenuity, he managed to get the Placerville gelding to angle out – once free, the duo rocketed home to thunderous cheers as the odds-on choice.

Hughes had a peculiar "run-in" with the authorities regarding his ride on Jacqueline Smile at Mumbai in February 2012. In this writer's view, there was simply insufficient evidence to conclude that he had not allowed his mount to run on its merits. Later events proved that the horse in question had little to offer by way of "merit", anyway! She was a moderate animal, beaten by a street on the occasion in question, and required a further seven starts and a change of trainer to break her maiden. The rider insists he did nothing wrong. In a chapter in his book entitled "Mumbai Madness", he has lamented the fact that the RWITC stewards appear to place too much reliance on "instructions".

Indeed, many top riders round the world receive no "instructions" at all – they are considered to be high class professionals who are good enough to adapt to ever-changing situations in a race. They would be shackled if unable to exercise their discretion.

In a different context, Hughes is on record as having said: "I feel I am as good in a class 6 race in India as I am in a Group 1 race in the UK.  I ride every horse to win and if a jockey thought any different, he shouldn’t be riding."

Fortunately that incident did not dissuade Hughes from making further trips to India to try to work his magic, but it's a matter of record that he was able to score only thrice in the country thereafter, although he did manage a third place in the McDowell Indian Derby last year with Circle Of Bliss.

With better Winter opportunities for English and Irish riders these days in places like Dubai, Hong Kong and Singapore, not many top flight riders make the trip to India. Because of his long association, Richard Hughes, was one who would. With his retirement, it will likely be a long time before we will get to see a rider of his calibre aboard a runner in a race in the sub-continent again. Which is a pity…..