ON his first ride for Joseph O’Brien, Co Tyrone native Simon Torrens doubled his previous best seasonal score (12 in the 2019/20 campaign) when initiating a big handicap double at Leopardstown last Saturday on A Wave Of The Sea in the Grade B Matheson Handicap Chase.

The five-year-old Born To Sea gelding ran in the colours of J.P. McManus which Torrens also wore to victory just over an hour later in the Grade B Ladbrokes Handicap Hurdle on the Pat Fahy-trained Drop The Anchor, a seven-year-old Shantou gelding on whom the jockey had won at Listowel in September.

Torrens, who had just the two rides on Saturday, failed to add to his seasonal tally from three mounts on Sunday (including on my weekend Nap, Scoir Mear (fifth in the Gaelic Plant Hire Leopardstown Handicap Chase)) but hit the 26-mark for the campaign on Monday at Fairyhouse.

There he landed the Cavalor Equine Nutrition Handicap Chase on the Philip Rothwell-trained, McManus-owned Weihnachts who beat Colin McBratney’s charge, Benefit North, by three and a quarter lengths.

Ton up for champion Hughes

THE reigning British champion jumps jockey Brian Hughes partnered his 100th winner of the season at Musselburgh on Sunday when bringing up a double for himself and trainer Donald McCain in the bet365 Scottish Supreme Novices’ Hurdle.

Their winner by two and a quarter-lengths in the near two-mile contest was the Getaway gelding Bareback Jack who was completing a hurdling hat trick under Hughes in the colours of Tim Leslie.

Successful for the Colin Bowe yard in a four-year-old maiden at Punchestown a year ago on his only other start, the bay holds an entry in the Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 1) at Cheltenham.

Co Armagh-born Hughes, who initiated his Sunday double on board Middleham Park Racing’s Farhh filly Fiveandtwenty in the bet365 Scottish Triumph Hurdle (Listed), moved on to the 101 mark for the season on the jumpers’ bumpers card at Newcastle on Monday.