'He's inspirational' - McCoy and Walsh lead tributes to new champ Brian Hughes

Jump racing's biggest names pay tribute to the jockey who has regained the championship by a wide margin.

20-time champion jockey Sir Anthony McCoy: "It's an amazing achievement and takes great dedication and work ethic. You need to work to ride 200 winners, but you need a lot of luck as well.

"You need the stable that you’re riding for to be performing to a very high level regularly, which obviously Donald McCain has been – to have ridden over 100 winners for him is a huge help. To get to 200 with just a few days of the season left is a great credit to Brian, to his agent and obviously to Donald too, who has helped him enormously.

"The sad thing about being champion jockey is that it only lasts a very, very short period of time, because on Saturday when he picks the trophy up it'll be over. The enjoyment is short-lived."

12-time Irish champion jockey Ruby Walsh: "Reaching the 200 mark for a season is a wonderful achievement. Brian will deflect a lot of the praise to different people, but you don't achieve what he has without earning it – he has earned it.

"Brian does what you need to do in order to be a top jockey every day. He's just incredibly consistent. AP's greatest achievement was setting a huge standard.

"I think the biggest compliment I can pay Brian is to say he is now the one setting the standard. He has an inspirational work ethic."

Ruby Walsh: 'Brian does what you need to do in order to be a top jockey every day. He's just incredibly consistent'Credit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

Eight-time champion jockey Peter Scudamore: "I'm lucky to be part of a very select club and I'm pleased Brian has reached 200, I didn't want him to end up on 198 or something.

"He's very confident and makes the right decisions, you need to have a brain on a horse and to think and he does that. It's all about the position you get into in a race, to be able to present your horse over the last several fences with a chance, and he repeatedly does that on whichever track he's at."

Former champion jockey Jonjo O'Neill: "He's a hard grafter, the one thing on his mind is riding winners and it's a great credit to him to be able to do it up north. It's a fantastic effort."

Trainer Donald McCain: "The best sportsmen make what they do look very simple. Then you see other people on those horses and it's not simple. He gets to the point in the race that matters, in the smoothest way possible."

Donald McCain: 'He gets to the point in the race that matters, in the smoothest way possible'Credit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

Tony Dobbin, who rode more than 1,000 winners: "He's an unbelievable jockey. He's had a greatest season with Donald McCain and his work ethic is incredible. He's so strong and he has everything you need to be champion jockey, he absolutely deserves everything he gets.

"He's an all-round top man and it makes me feel really proud to be part of the northern racing scene that has produced jockeys like him."

Trainer Nicky Richards: "He's a credit to racing, to the north and to himself. He's the ultimate professional, he's very determined which all the top-class jockeys have got to be.

"I hope we can get him on a Grade 1 horse before long, he's just missing that a little bit now and I'll be doing my best. It's a pleasure to have him about. He's brilliant with the young jockeys and with the staff.

Trainer Richard Newland: "Brian Hughes is an incredible jockey. He's very talented, hard-working and just a superb tactician. It's a richly deserved achievement and I could only offer my congratulations for hitting such a milestone."

13-time champion trainer Paul Nicholls: "It's an amazing achievement and only four people have done it – that says it all really. He's a hard-working jockey, rides lots of winners and he's done incredibly well. He deserves all the plaudits he gets."

Read more:

Double century for Brian Hughes is just reward for his McCoy-esque domination (£)

Brian Hughes becomes fourth jump jockey to ride 200 winners in a season

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