TEARFUL Richard Hughes pulled off the biggest shock of the season as 66-1 shot No Half Measures bagged the July Cup.
In a huge upset, the flying filly came from way off the pace to beat Big Mojo by a neck under veteran jockey Neil Callan.
No Half Measures caused a huge 66-1 upset in the July Cup[/caption]
The result gave Richard Hughes (second left) his first Group 1 winner[/caption]
It was ‘Hughesie’s’ first Group 1 winner since he retired from the saddle and took out his trainers’ licence in 2015.
And he went through a rollercoaster of emotions in the minutes after the race – first delight, then shock, and then tears began to flow.
Hughes said: “It’s a very hard game, but this is just fabulous. There were a lot of dark days when I started out. This feels surreal.”
He isn’t the only one who felt that way, and even Nostradamus would have struggled to predict this result.
She has always been a useful filly, but all of her best form has come on soft ground and she looked likely to be outclassed at the top-level on a rattling quick track.
The sprint division has been wide-open for a few years, which is why Charlie Appleby decided to have a crack over six furlongs with his top miler Notable Speech.
He was comfortable early in the race going at a much faster tempo than he’s used to, and he looked like laying down a serious challenge a furlong out.
But he hung under pressure and backed out of it as Big Mojo moved into the lead – and then No Half Measures swept through and did them all.
Hughes said: “I think if I’d started out with a real good horse early in my training career, I wouldn’t appreciate it as much as I appreciate this right now.
“I probably didn’t appreciate all those good horses I rode when I was a jockey, I took it for granted, so because it’s been a tough road to get here it’s extra special.
“I was a little be naive at the start, I thought if I bought 20 horses one of them would be good. We’ve chipped away and we’ve got there in the end.
“There was no pressure today, I thought she was going to get caught and I couldn’t believe it when the line came. I’ve got the monkey off my back now, we’ll enjoy this one.”
It was a huge result, too, for Callan. The 46-year-old has been on the fringes for a few years now and his career was threatening to drift along to a tame conclusion.
He said: “The last couple of years I thought I was buried, last year and this year have been a bit of a struggle.
“Hughsie messaged me a few days ago asking if I wanted to take the ride and I thought he’d messaged the wrong person! This is magic.”
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