Mike Cattermole: Hughes the man, Sandown seven, Pentland Hills & more

Hughes set to test the champion

At the start of this calendar year, Brian Hughes achieved the notable milestone of riding 1,000 career winners.

At the end of it, he stands neck and neck with the four-time champion Richard Johnson at the top of the jockeys’ championship. Both men are on the verge of 100 winners and their rivalry is poised to squeeze every drop out of the other, all the way until April.

How ironic, for 16 years Johnson was runner-up to AP McCoy in the championship and now he has found another nemesis from Northern Ireland to test him!

Both men will be checking the results on a daily basis, as it is rare that they will share the same weighing room, with Hughes ruling the roost in the north and Johnson based largely in the south.

That said, it still amazes me to see the hunger that the champion jockey shows – he appeared at Hexham last week for three rides, although was out of luck.

The two have much in common with a determined, single-minded professionalism and an insatiable appetite for hard work, alongside the obvious talent, of course.

Hughes is certainly the man in the north, I hear. One well-known up-and-coming rider told me that the 34-year-old is the one they all respect and listen to up there. He has an aura, he dominates the scene.

Hughes has the backing of some top yards too, such as Nicky Richards and Donald McCain and both those outfits are starting to send out plenty of winners again. Richards was responsible for half of the Hughes four-timer at Carlisle on Sunday while both men provided a winner apiece for his double at Doncaster on Saturday.

Keith Dalgleish is another who uses Hughes’s services on a regular basis. Will all this be enough to topple the teak-tough veteran champion from his perch?

It is shaping up to be a tremendous battle.

David Pipe is back

Warthog’s battling win in the Caspian Caviar Gold Cup at Cheltenham on Saturday was a very welcome return to the big time for David Pipe and his most significant win since Un Temps Pour Tout won the Ultima Handicap Chase at the Festival in March, 2017.

It is no secret that times have been tougher of late at Pond House but the signs are good that the corner has been turned and Pipe’s seasonal tally has already overtaken the final totals of both the past two seasons.

Warthog was yet another example of a horse benefiting from a wind operation – indeed it was his second run back after one, having performed well when third to Happy Diva in the BetVictor Gold Cup last month.

I’ve been here before on this but I really feel that horses gain confidence on the second run back after such a procedure – it’s when the mental thing seems to kick in, as in: “I really can breathe again.”

Two other horses of Pipe’s who have returned after similar surgery are Duc De Beauchene, owned by JP McManus, whose first run back was a successful one at the Cheltenham November meeting, and Umbrigado, who shaped well at Haydock last month after a near eight months on the sidelines.

That was over three miles but Umbrigado is entered in the Betfair Exchange Trophy Handicap Hurdle over two at Ascot on Saturday. Could we see something similar occur with another big win for the yard on the second run back after wind surgery?

Pentland Hills not to be dismissed

Nicky Henderson won the International Hurdle with the admirable Call Me Lord at Cheltenham on Saturday but nobody seems to rate his Champion Hurdle chances, perhaps because the unconsidered Ballyandy, rated just 151, finished second.

Although Pentland Hills ran well and faded only up the hill after taking a keen hold in the race, it would seem that he has some progress to make if he is to be a genuine Champion contender. That said, you can’t rule that out as he has only had four starts over hurdles. He’s such a likeable type.

All in all, though, it was an unsatisfactory race, run at a dawdle and hard to weigh up. But this is an open and, at the moment, substandard year with everybody waiting for a benchmark performance.

Perhaps Klassical Dream will serve it up at Leopardstown on Saturday week.

Sandown seven

I was pleased to hear that the seven riders involved in “yellow flag gate” at Sandown won their appeals this week.

The whole thing was a bit of a shambles and it didn’t seem fair that they would be the only ones to pay for it. And by missing the lucrative Christmas period, they would have more than paid for it.

As if we needed any more proof about how much we had to learn about this sort of situation, it came as if on cue at Cagnes-sur-Mer on Wednesday when a chase was stopped at the third last – this time for a jockey receiving treatment – by a loud klaxon blaring across the track.

It worked well from what we could see and no doubt the BHA will be looking into it, having a chat with Racetech and coming up with something similar.

They surely will, won’t they?

John Francome

The Racing Post published yet another appreciation piece about the “greatest jockey” this week. There have been quite a few of them in recent years.

That said, I always enjoy reading them and catching up with his friend and old rival Peter Scudamore on my northern tour last week, it is clear how much affection Scu has for Francs, as we all do. Spending any time in John’s company is always a pleasure, always fun, and from my point of view, a privilege.

I got hold of some tickets for an Arsenal match one Sunday a couple of years ago and Johnny came and joined my family for lunch en route to the Emirates Stadium. The in-laws were over from the States and Linda, my mother-in-law, is a retired English teacher who was intrigued to meet the great author.

In her southern drawl, she asked: “How come you stopped writing your books Johnny?”

In his unique Swindon drawl came the reply: “Well, there’s only so many ways you can bump somebody off, Linda.”

I chipped in with: “I see AP has written a book, Francs. He reckons he could be the next Dick Francis.”

“Yeah, I told him he was more Dick than Francis!”

Cue me again: “Shall we go then, Francs?”

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