Richard Hughes: 'Why would you do something for nothing and pay all the bills?'

Trainer Richard Hughes joined the Racing Post's What A Shout show on Friday and had plenty to say on some hot industry topics.

Find out what he said on the show below or watch via the YouTube link now.

Jockey v trainer

Being a trainer is much harder [than being a jockey] because you're running a business. Training the horses is probably the easiest bit – running the business, having staff and keeping everyone happy [is harder]. I've got good owners – that's not really a problem – it's just running the business in general.

I used to play Candy Crush in the car on the way home but I don't have time for that anymore!

I don't run too many pie-in-the-sky horses in races they can't win – I don't think it does them any good. Normally when I have a runner on the Saturday we really think it deserves a chance in a race, but I'm not running in a hundred-grand handicap to finish fifth or sixth – I don't think it does them any good for their confidence.

Maybe I'm a bit too reserved, but I feel I can get them through the whole season if I don't overrace them too much.

When you pass the line as a jockey you're like 'right, what's my next winner going to be?' When you're a trainer you sit back after racing and you really get a lot of enjoyment out of it and fulfilment as well.

Training for the Queen

I'm very privileged and lucky – she's a wonderful woman. We give her a ring on raceday when they're running and meet her now and again at the races and it's an honour and a privilege to be training for her, the first Paddy to be training for her.

I don't have to fill her in on too much, she's well clued-up and John Warren [the Queen's racing manager] I suppose has told her already. I just have a little chat with her and tell her how I think they're going to run.

It's been a lovely surprise having this filly Candle Of Hope. We didn't think she was much good but fortunately before June she turned a corner and we haven't looked back with her.

Cost of living crisis

With the price of everything going up between feed, shavings and hay we put our training fees up last year, which was overdue because I couldn't do it during Covid. People were very kind and kept their horses here, and it just feels like the little amount we put them up has gone out of the window straight away. Everything has got so expensive.

Joe Tuite: winding down his Lambourn operationCredit: Edward Whitaker

Trainers quitting

Joe [Tuite] is a great pal of mine. I admire him hugely for what he's done – he's very brave for what he's done. Joe's a better trainer than me – he's had a lot of big winners. It's the nature of the game and it's the nature of the beast. You go out of favour for a few months, your horses aren't right and all of a sudden you're on that slippery slope. I admire Joe because he's getting out while he's ahead.

You need fifty horses to be getting yourself a wage and why would you go and do something for nothing and end up paying all the bills yourself? It's the first sign of madness so well done Joe and Harry [Dunlop] for biting the bullet at the right time.

Are the racecourses running our business or is it the BHA? Six meetings on a Saturday and you come to Tuesday with no meetings on – I just wonder who's running the show. We should say when there's meetings and then you want to bid for those days you bid for them. If not, you don't get them. All the racing crammed on a weekend is a bit crazy and it's very hard for our staff, I know that.

Staffing crisis

It's an ongoing problem, society in general has changed. When we were young and growing up you got a kick in the backside and got on with it. People are a bit soft now. Young people coming into the game, they get a headache and they don't want to come in – it's just a little bit different. I can understand, people are brought up differently nowadays – a little bit softer maybe. The old-fashioned way of 'oh yeah grand, kick on', has changed in racing as society has changed and I just think we have to be a bit more aware of that.

Luckily enough, I've just managed to get a sponsor that allows us to bring foreigners in, which should help me ease the tension in the yard. I have a great team at the moment and for two years I was employing people who would come in for two weeks and leave and upset the whole yard, and I just said from now on it's not worth bringing those guys in. I'd rather lads do an extra hour and a half than bringing someone in to upset everyone.

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