the cheer for an ap mccoy ridden winner this week might be loud but the decibel level could be matched if a runner trained by sandra hughes reaches the winner’s enclosure and thursday might be that day as the hughes trained lieutenant colonel is 8 1 third favourite for the ladbrokes world hurdle, while the tullow tank is no forlorn hope in the opening jlt novices’ chase both will also carry a wave of sentimental support from the cheltenham crowd as hughes took over the family stables close to the curragh after her father, dessie, lost his fight against cancer in november sandra hughes celebrates victory at fairyhouse with lieutenant colonel and jockey bryan cooper  a festival legend, dessie’s eight wins as a jockey included the 1977 gold cup on davy lad and the 1979 champion hurdle on monksfield they were matched by eight winners as a trainer, headed by the back to back champion hurdle victories of hardy eustace in 2004 and 2005 appropriately, the track have named the prize for this week’s top trainer in dessie’s honour it is a tribute that the hughes family appreciate but securing a winner with what sandra refers to as ‘dad’s horses’ would be even more special hughes, whose thunder and roses unseated its jockey in the nh chase on tuesday, said: ‘it is great to get dad’s horses here because that is what he would have wanted he just loved cheltenham everything he did each season was working towards it, so to be honoured is lovely trainer dessie hughes, who passed away in november last year, celebrates with cooper in the winners enclosure after our conor's win in the spring juvenile hurdle  ‘we always came as a family so it is quite tough not having him here, but i feel he is looking down on me and to see the warmth and the love people had for him was genuinely overwhelming there is a big contingent over with us, the usual crew the head of the ship is missing but we are here to make him proud’ with sandra this week is dessie’s widow, eileen, and his son, richard, the three time flat racing champion jockey who last week announced he will be setting up training in britain next year but it was always the plan that sandra would take the helm at her father’s stable she said: ‘i thought it would be in 10 or 15 years’ time i never realised it would be this quick but things happen and you just have to get on with it our whole life revolved around putting the horses first and that is what we had to do ‘me and richard are very close it is great to have him for advice, even if it is at the end of a phone call thankfully, i inherited a fabulous team of horses and a fabulous staff and it is working so far’ jockeys line up to observe a minute's silence at cheltenham racecourse after the death of trainer hughes  the tullow tank is so called because it is the nickname of ireland rugby forward sean o’brien owner barry connell said: ‘i bought the horse from a friend of sean o’brien and he was there at fairyhouse when he won his beginners chase we had a couple of drinks and a good chat ‘he is keen enough on his racing his day job is a farmer when he is not playing rugby ‘the horse won first time out and disappointed on his next two runs but we identified reasons for that we are hoping he will put up a good show and is on his way back’ a win for the tullow tank would be popular as connell suffered the blow of losing hughes trained our conor in a fatal fall in last year’s champion hurdle the hand of dessie is also very much behind the path steered by lieutenant colonel this season he had always wanted a six year old he felt was some way off maturity to have another season over hurdles so, after he was beaten in his first steeplechase at naas in november, sandra was delighted when his owners, ryanair boss michael o’leary and his racing manager brother eddie, suggested he switch back to the smaller obstacles it has been a highly successful decision with two grade one wins snapped up — the hatton’s grace at fairyhouse a few days after dessie died and the christmas hurdle in december, beating jessica harrington’s jetson on both occasions sandra added: ‘he ran in a beginners chase and he was a little bit disappointing but it was always dad’s plan to keep him over hurdles for an extra year he thought it would make a man of him ‘so i was delighted when eddie and michael suggested going back over hurdles again, and plan a kicked in again it was what dad wanted’ hughes fits first time cheekpieces on lieutenant colonel, who will be ridden by bryan cooper, and is also optimistic the tullow tank will run well ‘i am very happy with him his jumping has been a little bit of an issue but he jumped well at leopardstown last time and we feel we have him spot on this was the race he was trained for all year so hopefully we will get it right’
dessie cheltenham sandra hughes the ladbrokes world hurdle 2014 dessie hughes
trainer sandra hughes looking to win at cheltenham for father dessie  dessie hughes lost his fight against cancer in 2014  lieutenant colonel is 8 1 joint favourite for the ladbrokes world hurdle 