As any tabloid reader will tell you, what people do for kicks is very much a personal decision. In the news sense then, Richard Hughes isn't likely to dominate the column inches. In the world of sensation, riding half a ton of thoroughbred over obstacles, with the prospect of hitting the ground at 30 m.p.h. plus, doesn't send editors slavering to the presses. It does tell you something about Hughes, however.

Sure, he is the son of Dessie Hughes, one of the finest jump jockeys of his generation and, yes, he has been schooling horses since he was a boy, but Hughes shouldn't in all sense be preparing to ride Hard News in Saturday's Ladbroke Hurdle.

The man is, after all, one of the most naturally-gifted flat jockeys, able to command a very nice living by guiding gawkily adolescent two-year-olds around the Newmarkets of this world, rather than throwing his soul over obstacles and hoping a hard-bitten hurdler follows him. As kicks go, this is one pastime where a kick is only all too likely.

Richard Hughes. however. views it differently. The money may be on the flat but the fun is over jumps. He will celebrate his 25th birthday on Sunday. The hope is real enough that the party will be just a continuation of Ladbroke success.

"Basically, I just love it. The thought of just sitting in the bar at Leopardstown and watching the Ladbroke is terrible. I'd feel helpless," he says grinning. In the circumstances the obvious reply of helpless but safe is not appropriate, though. A total of 25 winners over flights, including a memorable victory on Cockney Lad in last year's Irish Champion Hurdle, proves that this is one pastime taken deadly seriously.

It is also fun, though. The winter break from flat racing allows Hughes the chance to go racing with a rare feeling for him, a full stomach. Cursed on the flat with a height that makes every ounce wasted a sweaty ordeal, racing over hurdles allows a sense of freedom. Particularly after an unhappy three-month spell in the exotic but pressure-cooker atmosphere of Hong Kong.

"I went there in August to ride for Andy Leung but things didn't work out. On my first day, I rode a winner and I thought this is easy, but we didn't have much luck after that. His horses weren't well handicapped, and while every horse will eventually find his mark, I didn't have enough time to wait. The lifestyle in Hong Kong is great, though, and I'd go again if asked," he says.

Hughes rode one more winner in the former colony before returning home and will return to Britain to ride on the all-weather next week. "That's important in getting my name among the winners over there again. Come March-April, I went my name near the top of the table rather than having to scratch around for rides," he says.

In the meantime, Hard News in the Ladbroke will help keep him fit and keep the weight in check, while also providing the hope of another big-race winner.

"I got as much enjoyment from winning on Cockney Lad as I did from winning the Jersey Stakes on Sergeyev and the King's Stand on Piccolo at Royal Ascot. It was different, a real slog from the last, but brilliant," he remembers. Sense may say otherwise but such a win only hooked Hughes even further.

"I was tempted to ride over fences at Limerick at Christmas, but I don't think the owners of the horse wanted the responsibility of putting me up in case I had a bad fall. I suppose in the situation I'm in I shouldn't be doing this. A fall over hurdles is less likely but they're usually bad. But I'll keep going," Hughes says, while emphasising that his future is on the flat now that his infuriating weight is starting to settle.

In the short term, however, Hughes was impressed by Hard News in a work-out yesterday morning. Beaten only a length by the Ladbroke favourite, Commanche Court, last time, Hard News is not without a chance of reversing the form.

"He is not over big but he jumps well, and the sharp inner track could be worth three lengths in his favour. He also likes to race handy, so I should be able to stay out of any trouble that might be going on," Hughes considers, while pointing to the English raider Sharpical and not Commanche Court as the biggest danger to everybody.

"Sharpical has a lot of class. I remembered him from the flat and kept an eye on him when he went hurdling. I rode in a race at Huntingdon, where he beat Moonax, and he has loads of pace. The sharp track could suit him and my fellow more than Commanche Court," he says.

As a start to the year, Hard News could provide Hughes with the ultimate kick. If he does, no one will appreciate it more.