Hughes makes winning visit home

Brian Hughes, former champion conditional in England, made a successful return home to Northern Ireland when partnering Grand Opera to victory at Downpatrick.

The Gordon Elliott-trained gelding moved smoothly through to lead at the last and kept on well on the run-in to beat stable-mate The Rocking Dock by six lengths in the Pat O'Hare Bookmakers Handicap Hurdle.

Hughes, who is from Newtownhamilton in Armagh, was apprenticed to Kevin Prendergast on the Flat here, and rode 20 winners, before weight forced him to turn to jumping.

He rides mainly for Alan Swinbank and Richard Fahey in England and was partnering his first success over jumps in his homeland.