Dessie Hughes was an

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

racehorse Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...

trainer and

jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used to describe the individual ...

. He was the father of British champion jockey, Richard Hughes, and won at the

Cheltenham Festival The Cheltenham Festival is a horse racing-based meeting in the National Hunt racing calendar in the United Kingdom, with race prize money second only to the Grand National. The four-day festival takes place annually in March at Cheltenham Rac ...

as both jockey and trainer.

Career

As a jockey

Hughes' most famous successes in the saddle came at the Cheltenham Festival. In 1977, he partnered the

Mick O'Toole Mick O'Toole (18 September 1931 – 23 August 2018) was an Irish racehorse trainer, whose horses competed in both Flat racing and National Hunt racing, and was active from 1966 to 1996, winning major races both in Ireland and Great Britain durin ...

-trained Davy Lad to success in the

Cheltenham Gold Cup The Cheltenham Gold Cup is a Grade 1 National Hunt horse race run on the New Course at Cheltenham Racecourse in England, over a distance of about 3 miles 2½ furlongs ( ...

. Two years later, he was victorious in one of the most famous clashes in jumps racing history when Monksfield rode to a famous victory over

Sea Pigeon Sea Pigeon (1970–2000) was an American-bred, British-trained racehorse who excelled in both National Hunt and flat racing. In a racing career which lasted from 1972 until 1981 he competed in eighty-five races, and won thirty-seven times. He ...

in the Champion Hurdle.

As a trainer

Hughes had always planned to train and having prepared for three years, he took out his training licence in 1980. Light The Wad was an early success for the fledgling yard, winning the Irish Arkle at

Leopardstown Leopardstown () is a suburb of Dublin in Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown, within the traditional County Dublin, Ireland. Located at the foot of the Dublin Mountains, it is a residential suburb with institutional lands and a large racecourse. It is ...

in 1982 and successive renewals of the Drogheda Chase at the

Punchestown Festival Punchestown Racecourse is located in the parish of Eadestown, between the R410 and R411 regional roads near Naas, County Kildare, in Ireland. It is known as the home of Irish Jumps Racing and plays host to the annual Punchestown Irish National ...

in 1981 and 1982. That same year, 1982, he sent out Miller Hill to win the Supreme Novices' Hurdle at the

. Other notable wins in the 1980s included Chow Mein in the 1985 Galway Plate, William Crump in the 1986 Huzzar Handicap Hurdle and Ballychorus Dream in the 1988 Drinmore Novice Chase. For a long time around the turn of the decade, a persistent bug plagued the yard and success was hard to come by. Major success returned with Guest Performance who won six hurdle races between February 1996 and January 1997, before winning the Grade 3 Nas Na Riogh Novice Chase at

Naas Naas ( ; ga, Nás na Ríogh or ) is the county town of County Kildare in Ireland. In 2016, it had a population of 21,393, making it the second largest town in County Kildare after Newbridge. History The name of Naas has been recorded in th ...

in 1998. Hughes won the race again with Colonel Braxton in 2002, a horse which had also won the Grade 1 Menolly Homes Champion Novice Hurdle. Hughes' most famous recruit, Hardy Eustace, was picked up for a mere IR£21,000 in 2001, yet went on to win at the very highest level. In his novice hurdle season, he won the Grade 1

Royal Bond Novice Hurdle The Royal Bond Novice Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Ireland which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Fairyhouse over a distance of about 2 miles (3,219 metres), and ...

and the Sun Alliance Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival. The horse went on to win the 2004 and 2005

Champion Hurdle The Champion Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run on the Old Course at Cheltenham over a ...

s and the

Punchestown Punchestown Racecourse is located in the parish of Eadestown, between the R410 and R411 regional roads near Naas, County Kildare, in Ireland. It is known as the home of Irish Jumps Racing and plays host to the annual Punchestown Irish Nationa ...

equivalent in 2004. Success also came in the

Irish Champion Hurdle The Irish Champion Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Ireland which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Leopardstown over a distance of about 2 miles (3,219 metres), and du ...

in 2007. By the time he retired at the end of the 2009/10 season, he had earned well over €1,000,000 in prize money. Bought at the same sale as Hardy Eustace for a similar sum, Central House was almost as successful, winning five Grade 2 contests, one Grade 1 and being placed in seven other Graded chases, accumulating just over €515,000 in prize money during his career. Other Graded race winners have included Schindlers Hunt, Grangeclare Lark and

Grand National The Grand National is a National Hunt horse race held annually at Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool, England. First run in 1839, it is a handicap ...

performers Rare Bob, Black Apalachi and Vic Venturi. Former apprentice of Hughes',

Pat Dobbs Pat Dobbs (born 1978) is a Group 1 winning Irish jockey. He is stable jockey for Richard Hannon Jr. Career Dobbs was born and brought up into a non-racing family in County Wexford, Ireland. He found racing an enjoyable alternative to school ...

spoke highly of his time with the yard. “Dessie did more work around the yard than most of us lads. He was first out every morning and used to muck out just across from me, telling me to hurry up when I was too slow. He was a great horseman and paid attention to every detail.”

Principal jockeys

* Bryan Cooper * Roger Loughran * Ian McCarthy * Mark Enright *

Major wins

As a jockey

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

Aintree Hurdle The Aintree Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Aintree over a distance of about 2 miles and 4 furlongs (), ...

– (3) – '' Monksfield'' (1977 (

dead heat A dead heat is a rare situation in various racing sports in which the performances of competitors are judged to be so close that no difference between them can be resolved. The result is declared a tie and the competitors are awarded a joint ra ...

), 1978, 1979) * Arkle Chase – Tip the Wink (1977)'' Chinrullah (1979)'' *

Champion Chase The Queen Mother Champion Chase is a Grade 1 National Hunt steeplechase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged five years or older. As part of a sponsorship agreement with the onli ...

– '' Chinrullah (1980) (subsequently disqualified)'' *

Champion Hurdle The Champion Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run on the Old Course at Cheltenham over a ...

– '' Monksfield (1979)'' *

Cheltenham Gold Cup The Cheltenham Gold Cup is a Grade 1 National Hunt horse race run on the New Course at Cheltenham Racecourse in England, over a distance of about 3 miles 2½ furlongs ( ...

– ''

Davy Lad Davy may refer to: * Davy (given name) * Davy (surname) * Davy lamp, a type of safety lamp with its flame encased inside a mesh screen * Davy, West Virginia, United States, a town * Davy Sound, Greenland * Davy (crater), a crater on the moon * ''D ...

(1977)'' * Sun Alliance Hurdle – (2) – ''

(1975), Parkhill (1976)'' * Supreme Novices' Hurdle – '' Mac's Chariot (1977)'' *

Stayers' Hurdle The Stayers' Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain. It is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run on the New Course at Cheltenham over a distance of about 3 miles ...

– '' Bit Of A Jig (1976)''

As a trainer

Champion Hurdle The Champion Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run on the Old Course at Cheltenham over a ...

– (2) – '' Hardy Eustace (2004, 2005)'' * Sun Alliance Hurdle – '' Hardy Eustace (2003)'' * Supreme Novices' Hurdle – '' Miller Hill (1982)'' *

Triumph Hurdle The Triumph Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years. It is run on the New Course at Cheltenham over a distance of about 2 miles and 1 f ...

– Our Conor (2013) ----

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

Arkle Novice Chase The Arkle Novice Chase is a Grade 1 National Hunt steeplechase in Ireland which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run at Leopardstown over a distance of about 2 miles and 1 furlong (3 ...

– (2) Light The Wad (1981) Schindler's Hunt (2007) *

– Hardy Eustace (2007) *

Racing Post Novice Chase The Racing Post Novice Chase is a Grade 1 National Hunt Steeplechase (horse racing), chase in Ireland. The race is run at Leopardstown Racecourse in December, over a distance of 2 miles and 1 furlong ...

– (2) – Central House (2002), Schindler's Hunt (2006) *

Irish Grand National The Irish Grand National is a National Hunt steeplechase in Ireland which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run at Fairyhouse over a distance of about 3 miles and 5 furlongs (5,834 ...

– Timbera (2003) *

Spring Juvenile Hurdle The Spring Juvenile Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Ireland. It is run at Leopardstown Racecourse in February, over a distance of 2 miles. The race is restricted to four-year-old horses only a ...

-(3) – Mutineer (2003), Our Conor (2013), Guitar Pete (2014) *

Growise Champion Novice Chase The Dooley Insurance Group Champion Novice Chase is a Grade 1 National Hunt steeplechase in Ireland which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run at Punchestown over a distance of about 3 miles and ½ furlo ...

– Rare Bob (2009) *

Punchestown Champion Hurdle The Punchestown Champion Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Ireland which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Punchestown over a distance of about 2 miles (3,219 metres), and during ...

– Hardy Eustace (2004) *

Morgiana Hurdle The Morgiana Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Ireland which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Punchestown over a distance of about 2 miles and half a furlong ...

– Hardy Eustace (2008) *

- Hardy Eustace (2002)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hughes, Dessie Irish racehorse trainers Irish jockeys 2014 deaths 1943 births