Richard Hughes’ Glorious Goodwood thunder stolen by Frankie Dettori

We came to bury Richard Hughes but ended by praising Frankie Dettori. The advance publicity for this week’s racing revolved almost entirely around Hughes, the 42-year-old reigning champion who has so dominated the Glorious meeting in recent years and has now retired to set up as a trainer but, on his final day’s action, it was the Italian, older by two years, who stole the glory.

There cannot be many major British races that Dettori has never won but, until Saturday, the Stewards’ Cup was one. Happily for those who made Magical Memory the 6-1 favourite, that is no longer the case, and punters also had reason to be grateful for the jockey’s skills earlier on the card, when he won the opening contest, a consolation race for horses that were not quite good enough to make it into the Stewards’ Cup.

Both races were 27-runner handicaps and, while there is always something to be said for being on the right horse on these occasions, it is a real achievement for one rider to have bagged both. Dettori picked his way through each cavalry charge with the sky-high confidence he always carries when things are going well and he ended as Glorious week’s top jockey with six successes, four of them for Al Shaqab, the Qatari owners who now retain him.

“Yes! I finally won it. The Stewards Cup!” he declaimed in the winner’s enclosure. “I’ve got the champagne on ice.

“The Stewards’ Cup has been bugging me for over 20 years. I had a good horse, who was very brave. I’ve enjoyed the crowd here this week, they’ve all been very warm and thankful. We were blessed by sunshine and some great races.

“Fantastic, over the moon. I haven’t been champion jockey of the meeting for a while, so …”

It is, in fact, nine years since Dettori last had that honour. Hughes has been top jockey three times in the past four seasons but came here this time with reduced expectations. Many of the best horses at the Richard Hannon stable, with which he is so closely associated, now carry the colours of owners who use their own jockeys. Hughes had two winners during the week and said he could now retire a happy man, having been granted those final happy memories.

Friday’s win on Belvoir Bay was particularly Hughes-esque and the sight of him arriving alongside the leaders, motionless while all other jockeys were rowing away, is one that will stay with his followers for evermore. But there was no such luck on Saturday’s card and indeed Hughes appeared visibly disappointed after Bright Approach was only eighth of nine in the Nassau Stakes, the final Group One contest of his career.

That race was won in impressive fashion by Legatissimo, the 1,000 Guineas winner whose reputation had since been slightly eroded by two narrow defeats. The fast ground here seemed to help and connections may now consider a tilt at the Breeders’ Cup with her, if she retains her form as far as late autumn.

Hughes’s final chance came on Fox Trotter in a lowly handicap and there were several seconds, as he launched the gelding up the centre of the track and made significant headway towards the lead, when it seemed as though a Hollywood finish was possible. But Fox Trotter’s effort carried him only so far as fourth place in a race won, appropriately, by Silvestre De Sousa, now odds-on to be Britain’s new champion jockey.

Hughes still got to enjoy a guard of honour from his fellow jockeys before the first race, the presentation of a set of golf clubs from the track before his last ride and then a thorough drenching in champagne from his weighing room colleagues after it. There was frequent spontaneous applause, including as he returned, unplaced, after his penultimate ride, which seemed to surprise him.

“I didn’t have a winner, but it wasn’t to be,” he said. “I’m overwhelmed by the whole thing, it was absolutely brilliant. I enjoyed every minute of it. Everything went according to plan, apart from winning.

“My kid said to me, a couple of months ago on McCoy’s retirement day, ‘Are you going to have that?’ I said, ‘No, I’m afraid not. There won’t be anything like that.’ And it nearly was.

“I’ve had enough winners in my career. One more wouldn’t have made any difference, with a reception like that. I’d like to thank Goodwood for all the trouble they went to. They’ve moved houses for me and I’m very grateful.

“A lot of the jockeys retire when they’re in the hospital bed or something like that. I’m very lucky. It’s just a huge relief and now it’s onwards and upwards to my next job.”