Richard Hills Calls it a day
Almutawakel wins the Dubai World Cup for Sheikh Hamdan andRichard Hills! it was one of my favourite lines in many years of commentatingand it gave me so much pleasure to say it!
Richie Rich as I call him had just won the richest race inthe world and that has to be the highlight of an illustrious career thatbrought him so much success in those famous blue and white racing silks.
His big race wins are there for ever in the form book butwhat isnt in any book is the close working relationship he had with HH SheikhHamdan bin Rashid al Maktoum.
They talked and discussed their horses and racing virtuallyevery day with each one giving his views openly and although its fair to sayit didnt always go according to plan on the racecourse most of the time itdid!
In my life I have met the majority of the top jockeys andalways found Richard probably the most professional of them all especially inthe way he talked about the horses and where and what races they should race inin the future.
I also like him as a mate and have enjoyed many rounds ofgolf with him and he hit two of the most amazing shots I have ever seen on anygolf course.
The first was at the then newly opened Abu Dhabi Golf Cluband coming up the 18th which is a massive par 5 he took his driverfor his 2nd shot on the fairway-yes a driver-and proceeded to hit it330 yards straight down the middle and it ended up 3 inches from the hole!
He couldnt believe it, - I certainly couldnt believe it!
But it wasnt all great shots on the golf course becauseonce when playing at the Emirates with his good pals John Carroll and FrankieDettori and me he hit a tee shot that actually hit the tee marker and when itrebounded it him firm and square right between his legs!!
I reckon it must have been travelling at about 100 miles perhour when it him in that most delicate of places and I understand the swellingdidnt come down for a month!!
We can all look back and laugh about it now but at the timeI can tell you he was very, very sore!
Richard has always been good with money- some might saycareful(!)- but hes invested wisely and can certainly afford to retire fromthe saddle but will still be working very closely with Angus Gold, SheikhHamdans thoroughbred racing manager, Richard Lancaster and co at sheikhHamdans Studs to ensure the horses in the blue and white silks will continueto win the worlds top races!
So the big question now is who takes over?
There is no doubt being number 1 to Sheikh Hamdan is one ofthe best jobs in the world and I would love to see it go to Tadhg Oshea who forthe past three years has been number 2 to Richard Hills.
Oshea is a polished professional as well as being a tough,hard working individual and although not a big name he knows the Hamdan scenewell which is obviously a bonus.
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