Richard Hughes - Will 2012 be his year?

Producer of winners: Hughes heads to weigh in after another winner

As Hughes edges ahead in the leading jockey's table with five wins this weekend -  Crockford asks could be this be his year.

Producer provided Richard Hughes his fifth winner of the weekend and 106th of the season so far. Typical of his rider's style he was produced just at the last moment to deny The Cheka in The Supreme Stakes this afternoon. The win helped edge Hughes ahead of his rivals in the jockey's table and make him 1/6 favourite to secure the title for the first time. Having narrowly lost the title race to Paul Hanagan back in 2010 many asked if his chance had gone, now the weight of those memories could be lifted with a genuine leading chance of him securing his just deserves the title of Champion Jockey.

Hughes has a brilliant ability of "nursing horses" through races, waiting with them and producing them almost effortlessly to take the lead within the final strides. Just looking back over this weekend we need look no further than his win on Wentworth at York on Friday, My Sharona at Goodwood yesterday and Producer today to prove this point. 

Hughes waits with My Sharona to ensure his third win yesterday

There are parallels in his waiting style that can be drawn with the great George Fordham who reached the zenith of his career with 165 wins in 1862. At the time Fordham was called a "genius" and "on the greatest jockeys to have ridden" - both comments worthy of Hughes 150 years on. Like the great Champion Fred Archer at 5ft10 Hughes has had to battle his weight to continue to ride.  This year Crockford believes that he will be finally rewarded for his struggle by taking the championship with probably less wins and certainly less rides than when he lost out in 2010. 

BetVictor offer Richard Hughes at 1/6 for the championship ahead of Ryan Moore and Silvestre De Sousa both at 7/1

(First Photograph - Richard Hughes heading to the Weighing Room after his victory on Producer at Goodwood by Stuart Rice)

(Second Photograph - My Sharona winning at Goodwood 25/8/12 by Stuart Rice)