Tide is turning for Hughes ahead of blue riband bid

But, when it comes to the enigmatic Tidal Bay, Hughes softens. The best horse that the Yorkshire jockey has ridden, he will do anything to cajole the 10-year-old into signing off his career with an unforgettable last win.

As Tidal Bay, and Hughes, trailed a select field at Cheltenham in Saturday's Argento Chase, one of the last major Gold Cup trials, there was a danger that the horse would be tailed off.

Yet the jockey thought otherwise. After clearing the water, he patted the horse's neck several times before approaching an imposing open ditch. And then he lifted his left hand and tickled the horse's ear.

It sounds bizarre – but it worked. Tidal Bay, the 2008 Arkle Trophy winner, came 'from the clouds' to chase home the AP McCoy-inspired Neptune Collonges by a rapidly diminishing one-and-a- quarter lengths.

The eye-catching run had parallels with the horse's previous outing in last November's Betfair Chase at Haydock when he just failed to catch Imperial Commander, the reigning Gold Cup champion, on the line.

Hughes, whose career was kick-started by his successful association with Richmond trainer Alan Swinbank, does not know whether similar coaxing will work in next month's Gold Cup.

Yet, with this year's race wide open as age catches up with former champions Kauto Star and Denman, Hughes believes that the bay gelding – a 50-1 chance – is entitled to line up in racing's blue riband even next month.

Pointing out that the horse has been first or second in 21 of his 28 starts, which he describes as "an incredible record of consistency", and that Tidal Bay has accrued more than 500,000 of prize money thanks to Saturday's endeavours, Hughes hopes people will reappraise his mount's record.

"His head carriage is a bit awkward. That's why people call him all sorts of names. But few horses try as hard as he does," said the jockey, who won last year's Cleeve Hurdle on Tidal Bay.

"Mon Mome and Carruthers were third and fourth, respectively, last year, and Tidal Bay is far better than those two put together.

"You forget that he's been racing at the top level since his run at Wetherby in March, 2006 and is becoming a bit set in his ways. He just needs humouring to keep up his enthusiasm. If only every horse was as good as him...

"If the pace had been quicker on Saturday, we would have won. We idled along on the first circuit. The Gold Cup will be much faster and that should suit. I'm not saying he will win, but he could make the frame."

No Northern-trained horse has won the Gold Cup since Jodami's 1993 triumph. However, Tidal Bay's frustrated trainer Howard Johnson believes there is no other way to ride the gelding other than to coax him round and he believes there is every reason to believe his charge will run a similar race in the Gold Cup.

The County Durham handler said: "What can you do with him? They just went too slow for him through the race and when you get Tony McCoy in front stopping and starting like he was, how do you get past him? "

But, as Hughes, one of the great observers of the form book, pointed out, the Gold Cup can spring up surprise results.

"Norton's Coin won at 100-1 in 1990 and Tidal Bay is as good as many past winners. It will be a privilige to have my first ride in the race on him."

Could it be the day when Tidal Bay chooses racing's most prestigious race to silence his critics?

Don't bet against it. Stranger things have happened.