MANY congratulations to Brian Hughes who recorded a treble at Ascot last Saturday, the middle leg coming in the Betfair Ascot Chase on Waiting Patiently who gave the Co Armagh-born jockey his first Grade 1 success.

Sent off the 2/1 favourite, the seven-year-old Flemensfirth gelding is now is in the care of Ruth Jefferson but, after passing the post following a superb ride on the bay, Hughes saluted the heavens in recognition of the late Malcolm Jefferson whose funeral had taken place the previous day in Old Malton.

Hughes, who has ridden Waiting Patiently to win six chases in as many starts, brought up a double at Kelso two days earlier on Cyrus Darius, who gave Ruth Jefferson her first winner as a trainer, and was also on the mark twice at Carlisle on Monday.

The second of his winners that afternoon was the Brian Ellison-trained Windsor Avenue on whom Hughes had also been successful on the gelding’s racecourse debut at Sedgefield last month. The six-year-old Winged Love gelding was bred by Jane Buchanan.

Hughes had initiated his brace on the Lucy Wadham-trained Shanroe Santos who won a Loughanmore maiden in October 2014 when trained by James Lambe for Brian Smyth.

Another northern-bred winner at that Carlisle meeting was the Jennie Candlish-trained 11-year-old Flemensfirth gelding Granville Island who landed the two and a half-mile handicap chase, following up his victory over a similar trip at Uttoxeter last month. Granville Island was bred out of the Furry Glen mare Fox Glen by Gareth Metcalfe.