Hughes to Retire After Goodwood

Jockey Richard Hughes says he is “comfortable with the decision” to retire at the end of the Qatar Goodwood Festival Aug. 1.

The three-time champion jockey announced earlier in the year this would be his final season, but the 42-year-old has now decided to hang up his saddle earlier than had been anticipated.

Hughes is poised to embark upon a training career as early as the autumn, and admitted the demands of preparing for his new vocation, allied to performing to his best on a racetrack, hastened the decision to move forward his retirement plans.

He told Press Association Sport, “I've always given 100% in everything I've done and I don't want to stop doing that now. To be a champion jockey and to be successful you have to be totally committed. It's become clear in the last two weeks that I've realised what that [training] will entail. I always knew this was going to be my last year, and I'm comfortable with the decision [to retire after Goodwood]. Whenever I was going to retire I was always going to miss out on riding good horses. Now is the time.”

In a related matter, Betfair Sportsbook have decided to refund all bets placed on Hughes for the 2015 British Flat Jockey Championship. The firm now has Silvestre de Sousa the 1-4 favorite ahead of James Doyle in second on 6-1.