Brian Hughes is top-priced at 2-1 to become the National Hunt champion jockey and end the rule of McCoy and Johnson
It is almost a quarter of a century since National Hunt’s champion jockey was someone other than Tony McCoy or Richard Johnson. In truth, it’s pretty much that long since anyone else was even a credible contender, as Johnson was the only rival within hailing distance in most of the 20 seasons in which McCoy had an iron grip on the title.
But could April 2020 be the month when a new name finally emerges? The betting markets seem to think so. Brian Hughes was a 7-2 chance for the title on Monday morning but less than 24 hours later – and after both had registered a single winner on the Monday cards – he is top-priced at 2-1. That is, on the face of it, some shift in such a short space of time when the season is seven months old and has five more to run.