Bookies left happy that Hughes hits magic seven on Monday

Richard Hughes said he was “over the moon” after the on-song rider secured a remarkable 10,168-1 seven-timer at Windsor yesterday.

The champion jockey-elect gave a hint of what was to come when he won the first two races on the eight-race card for his father-in-law Richard Hannon.

Pivotal Movement (13-8 joint-favourite) landed the EBF Joe Ward Hill Memorial Maiden Stakes, after which East Texas Red (5-2 favourite) claimed the davisbakerycaribbean.com Nursery. Hughes then donned the famous Khalid Abdullah silks for Amanda Perrett’s Embankment (7-1) in the Ladbrokes Game On! Maiden Stakes.

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The most impressive winner, though, was the Jeremy Gask-trained Magic Street (4-1 favourite), who streaked to a five-length win in division one of the Ladbrokes Mobile Handicap.

The afternoon got even better for Hughes when Links Drive Lady made it five out of five for the rider in division two.

Although he was out of fortune when Ever Fortune finished third in the eight-and-a-half-furlong handicap, normal business was resumed 30 minutes later when the Hannon-trained Duke Of Clarence (7-4 favourite) outbattled Sheila’s Buddy in the Bet In Play With Ladbrokes Handicap.

Mama Quilla then put the seal on an unforgettable afternoon for Hughes when William Haggas’ filly won the concluding skybet.com Handicap.

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The jockey was a late substitute for intended rider Ryan Moore and powered two-and-a-quarter lengths clear of Viola Da Gamba to justify 15-8 favouritism.

“I’m over the moon – it’s great to do it,” he said. “I always said I might do it one day at Windsor, my lucky track. Without Richard Hannon I wouldn’t be doing any of it.

“Every day my kid, Harvey, says, ‘How many winners today? Six or seven?’.

“I tell him I won’t ride that many, but I have today. What a thrill. This is a great day.”

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Most bookmakers were thankful the seven-timer was not achieved on a Saturday.

“That was probably the cheapest seven-timer ever for the bookies,” said William Hill spokesperson, Kate Miller.

“We’ll pay out around £100,000 but the figure could easily have been 10 times that if he’d chosen this Saturday instead.”

Paddy Power, representing the Irish bookmakers of the same name, said: “Hughesie getting beaten in the sixth leg saved us a payout that would have been close to £2m.”