Richard Hughes targets black type with No Half Measures

Nick Robson
July 15, 2024 9:38 am

“She’s getting quicker and stronger. As she’s strengthening up she’s getting quicker with it, she’s got oodles of speed.”

Richard Hughes will step No Half Measures back up in class having watched her return to winning ways at Newmarket on Friday.

The speedy filly won three of her first four races before being upped in grade for the Scurry Stakes at Sandown.

She failed to trouble the judge on that occasion, finishing a two-length fifth to Adaay In Devon, but she bounced back to outrun her 50-1 odds in the Palace of Holyroodhouse at Royal Ascot, finishing third behind Pilgrim.

At Newmarket on Friday she looked a cut above her opposition when scooting clear and Hughes is happy to look up in grade in search of black type.

No Half Measures left her rivals for dead at Newmarket (David Davies/PA)

“She’s improving with every race but that was nice because she had a hard enough race at Ascot and you are always taking a bit of a chance running at both meetings,” he said.

“But, she’s improving at an unusually strong rate of knots which is nice, she’s unbelievable.

“She’s getting quicker and stronger. As she’s strengthening up she’s getting quicker with it, she’s got oodles of speed.

“We had a little dip into black type company at Sandown and it just didn’t work on the day for some reason but then she went to Ascot and ran huge, so we’ll have another dip now!”