TRAINER Richard Hannon compared Richard Hughes to the legendary Lester Piggott ahead of his impending retirement from the saddle at Goodwood on Saturday.

As well as being stable jockey and a close friend to the current champion trainer - and his father before him - Hughes is also Hannon's brother-in-law.

The Marlborough-based jockey brings the curtain down on his stellar riding career this weekend to concentrate on his future as a trainer and Hannon admits he will leave a void that will be difficult to fill.

"He's been thinking about it for a while, so it wasn't a surprise to me he has decided to stop after Goodwood and we wish him all the best.," said Hannon, who is based at Everleigh and Herridge near Marlborough.

"He's been great, he hasn't missed a beat for years. He's been very reliable and massively important to our success.

"It (being part of the family) has made everything easier as he's with us all the time, Sunday lunches, socially and things like that.

"We've worked together for a lot of years and I imagine that will continue when he starts training.

"It's been a pleasure to have him riding for us.

"It's always dangerous to compare people with Lester Piggott, but for us, he's been better than Lester Piggott. A lot of the racing public won't agree with that, but for us he's been an example of a stable jockey and we'll miss him.

"Someone else will now have to fill his boots, as big as they are."

Hannon has no doubt Hughes will go on to enjoy a successful training career, but does not see him as a rival.

He told At The Races: "He'll be a big addition to the training ranks. He'll have more than me to worry about and I'll have more than him to worry about!

"He's well able to do the job. There's a lot of good, young trainers coming through now and there'll be success for all of us, hopefully."