Brian Hughes closing in on exclusive 200 winners club after Sedgefield double

Jockey Brian Hughes with horse Imperial Merlin after winning the Free Daily Tips on attheraces.com Open National Hunt Flat race at Sedgefield. Photo: Richard Sellers/PA Wire. .

Hughes, who lives in Carlton-in-Cleveland, bookended the meeting at his local track, by winning the opener on 11-10 favourite Gold Miner for Malton’s Brian Ellison and the last on odds-on jolly Imperial Merlin for another Malton handler, John Quinn.

It took Hughes’s seasonal tally to 199 and the rider now heads to Perth today where he has plenty of rides lined up over the next three days at the Scottish track.

On Saturday he heads to Sandown for the end of season Jumps Finale, where he will be crowned champion jockey for a second time.

Imperial Merlin ridden by jockey Brian Hughes (right).

He will be hoping to have reached the 200-mark by then, joining National Hunt greats Sir AP McCoy, Peter Scudamore and Richard Dunwoody as riders who have completed the feat.

Hughes won his first title in 2020, but Covid meant he missed out on the presentation and end-of-season celebrations.

Hughes said: “I’ve ridden winners for 33 different trainers and I’m very lucky I’ve got a lot of good owners and trainers supporting me.

“I must mention all the the staff in the yards, who are producing these horses.

“I always feel the stable staff don’t get enough credit and without them, you’d struggle to have the horses to ride.

“I’m just grateful for all the support I’ve had.”

He added: “I think I’ll have 15 rides over the three days (at Perth), so please God something comes home in front.”

Meanwhile, two of John Gosden’s big guns are being readied for York’s May meeting, with Reach For The Moon a possibility to join Stradivarius in Yorkshire.

Reach For The Moon, owned by the Queen, is a general 10-1 shot for the Cazoo Derby, which is run on June 4 during Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

He was beaten a head in the Champagne Stakes at Doncaster last September, with a setback scuppering plans for a final outing.

Gosden intimated last week that he was hoping the Sea The Stars colt, who was also bred by the Queen, would be back in time for a trial and he has now nominated the Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Dante Stakes on May 12 as an option.

Veteran stayer Stradivarius will run in the Paddy Power Yorkshire Cup, a race he has won twice previously.

Gosden said: “They are all fine. Stradivarius will go to York. Both of them will be pointing towards York.

“Stradivarius for the Yorkshire Cup and Reach For The Moon to the Dante.

“They are going all right at this stage. It is early days.”