Colonel in charge as Hughes has emotional first Grade One triumph

Sandra Hughes gained an emotional first Grade One triumph just two weeks after the death of her father Dessie when Lieutenant Colonel won a dramatic Bar One Racing Hatton’s Grace Hurdle at Fairyhouse yesterday.

Having registered her first success with a licence just 24 hours earlier, Hughes was back in the winner’s enclosure thanks to the Gigginstown House Stud-owned gelding, ridden by Bryan Cooper.

The turning point of the race came when the hot favourite Zaidpour fell, bringing down King Of The Picts at a flight around the halfway stage and not doing Jetson any favours.