Forget Hughes the jockey - Hughes the trainer isn't bad at Goodwood

Richard Hughes and connections with Russian Realm - his first Goodwood winner as a trainer / Picture by Steve Bone

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He dominated the Goodwood winners' charts as a jockey - is he about to do the same as a trainer?

It may be too soon to make too many bold predictions about Richard Hughes the trainer, but he already has his first success on the Downs after Russian Realm won for him on Goodwood’s opening day.

Shane Kelly guided the 14/1 shot home in the Betfred “Treble Odds On Lucky 15’s” Handicap – if only by a neck from Sinfonietta.

Afterwards Hughes was the toast of the winner’s enclosure, a feeling he knew so regularly during a career in the saddle that finished on the final day of last year’s Glorious Goodwood.

He is only in the very early days as a trainer but this bodes well for many more days in the sun at the racecourse - and he said winning at Goodwood as a trainer was even better than winning in the saddle.

Meanwhile, Newmarket trainer David Simcock was celebrating a one-two in Goodwood’s first listed race of the season.

Sean Levey came from nowhere on 10/1 chance Carnachy to land the £40,000 Betfred TV EBF Stallions Daisy Warwick Stakes.

In doing so he relegated Simcock’s other runner, the favourite Bateel, ridden by Jamie Spencer to second place a length and a half back.

The Daisy Warwick was one of two listed contests for fillies and mares on Goodwood’s frist card of the season, which was blessed by sunny and warm conditions and atteacted a good-sized crowd.

The Betfred 1400 Shops Nationwide EBF Conqueror Stakes went to David Probert on the Andrew Balding-trained Blond Me (4/1). (See the win in our video, above)

Afterwards Probert said two listed-race wins for the four-year-old could mean a Group 3 race was a possibility.

The first winner of Goodwood’s new season an unusual one in one sense - it belonged to jumps trainer and former Grand National-winning handler Oliver Sherwood.

That said, his runner Rayvin Black, ridden by Ed Greatrex, did go off 11/8 favourite, a rating he justified with the five-length victory over Onorian, ridden by Cathy Gannon.

There was opening-day joy for Sussex-based syndicate Heart of the South when their runner Marmalady was a 16/1 victor in the Betfred “Supports Jack Berry House” Handicap for trainer Robert Cowell and jockey Ted Durcan, while the 11/8 favourite Showing Off (Harry Bentley/Henry Candy) was doing just that by winning the Betfred Mobile Median Auction Maiden Stakes

The meeting ended with the Betfred “Bet On The Eurovision Song Contest” Stakes, which went to Gary Moore’s Goldenfield, driven home by Liam Keniry at odds of 12/1.

Next up at Goodwood is the May Festival, including a couple of Derby and Oaks trials, on May 19, 20 and 21.

STEVE BONE

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