Hugh Morgan © Photo Healy Racing
I'm from Kilmacow in Co Kilkenny. We bred National Hunt and Flat horses on the home farm and there were jockeys throughout my family - my great-grandfather and grandfather were jockeys. I would have grown up watching a lot of racing. For me, it wasn't until my early teens that I got into racing. Up until then, I would have done showjumping for a small bit. When I was younger, athletics was my main thing. I did quite okay at the athletics and it was a decision whether to pursue a career at the athletics or not. Horses took over then. I went to Dick Brabazon on the Curragh and that's where my racing journey really started. He was a friend of the family and it was my first racing yard. It was a brief spell with Dick. He was a very good man, good for advice and very patient. Then when I went to Jim Bolger's, it was quite an eye-opener at the start. I never had a problem, though. You went in there and did your work and it was ingrained into you how to do the work.
Rides didn't come until I was 18. My first ride was in a point-to-point at Punchestown for Arthur Moore. When I was in school, I would go to Henry de Bromhead's every weekend and during holidays. Then I did a summer with Henry. One of the following summers, when I was 18, I went to Ralph Beckett in Britain. Prior to that, I had been schooling in Henry's and going into Jim's. They were very good trainers to learn from. You were always surrounded by good horses, good jockeys, good ground staff. You see why their yards are clicking and why their jockeys are riding winners.
I did an Equine Business course in Maynooth. I was always on the heavier side and my mother wanted me to get some sort of education - she wanted me to have something behind me. It was recommended to me and I spent two to three years there. I was always riding out as well between Arthur Moore's, Christy Roche's and in Enda Bolger's on Fridays. At the end of that course, I went to Francois Cottin in France for a summer. He was based in Chantilly and that was another great experience. I spent three or four months there and Francois was very good to me. It was a lovely place and I was grateful for the opportunity to go over there.
I had a few rides here and there as an amateur, and had a few point-to-point rides for Michael Cleary, Arthur Moore and Peter Maher. Peter gave me rides when I was in Maynooth. When I was over in France, my weight went quite light and it was that summer that I approached Henry and said what I wanted to do, and he said there were opportunities if I worked towards them. I turned conditional and then it was basically roll up my sleeves in Henry's because there were a lot of good conditionals in there. I think there were three conditionals there at the time. We were all good friends but, at the same time. we were all hungry. I thought there was an opportunity in there to get going. I got my first ride in Limerick that winter and things just chipped away. My first winner didn't come for a while. It was in Bellewstown on Babbling Stream for Henry (in July 2018). It was the feature race that day and he kickstarted the whole thing.
I spent the whole time trying to improve and work on my fitness because I hadn't done pony racing or a whole pile of point-to-pointing. Thankfully, I had good support around me and in RACE (Racing Academy and Centre of Education) as well. A couple of lads from Henry's would go up to the simulator there, and we would go through races in the yard the next morning. Davy Roche (assistant to de Bromhead) was a big influence in guiding me in Henry's. On Sundays, if I wasn't racing or before racing, I used to go up to Joseph O'Brien's. I was full-time in Henry's and on weekends off I would be up in Joseph's. I'd also go to Paul Power's at lunchtimes. I was basically trying to get to as many local places as I could to get opportunities.
Young Dev garnered a lot of attention when he won a handicap chase in Navan (in February 2021) - At the time my right iron broke at the first fence and carrying on without my irons felt like the right thing to do. When you're in a situation in your sport, you make a decision that might be seen to be a bit left field, but it just felt like the right thing to do. Other times I have pulled up. I carried on and he jumped from fence to fence. He was happy and I was comfortable with the way he was going. He was a sound jumper and a handicapper, I had no worries that way. The rest is history as they say.
Hugh winning on Rauzan at Downpatrick in June© Photo Healy Racing
My biggest win in the saddle came on Spyglass Hill in the Grade B Tim Duggan at Limerick (in December 2021). It was very sweet because I had won on him over hurdles (at Limerick in October 2019) and I rode him in a beginners' chase, and after that I didn't ride him for a while. I ended up riding him in the Grand Sefton at Aintree (in November 2021) which was some experience to ride over those fences. Unfortunately, we only got to the Canal Turn. It was frustrating because we were going quite well at the time. It was maybe one that got away, but he went down to Limerick and won there. The heavy ground made a big difference to him and he never missed a beat. He was running well in some of those big handicaps and it was great that he won one of them.
It was competitive in Henry's, but eventually I rode a few nicer horses which I was grateful to Henry for. I suppose the more I got, the more I wanted. That drove me on. I had a good season in 2021/22 when I rode 23 winners. It has been difficult in recent times, rides were a bit quiet. I had a few injuries that took a while to come back from and sort of weight went against me. My weight went completely against me after I did my kidney. It took a while to get back from that - I wasn't sure if I would get back. I got back and rides were trickling away. If you are out of sight, you are out of mind. Maybe I was trying to get the ball to bounce a bit higher than it was bouncing. It was frustrating as rides have been slower since.
I moved from Henry's last September and I actually did a season with Ellmarie Holden's yard. Thankfully, whatever she had for the track, she let me ride most of them. I'm enjoying riding and I'm grateful for the rides I do get. I'm based in the south-east and at the minute I'm trying to get in schooling for as many trainers as I can. Eoin Doyle's Rauzan has definitely been a good horse for me. He won two on the bounce for me (at Tramore in May and in Downpatrick in June). I'm trying to make more contacts and get more rides, and something might click along the summer. In racing things can change so quickly.
Hugh was in conversation with Michael Graham.
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