Brian Hughes brings up his century at Musselburgh

Brian Hughes chalked up his 100th winner of the campaign as Bareback Jack highlighted a double at Musselburgh on Sunday for the reigning champion jockey.

Hughes secured his first championship last term and he leads the way again this year, with two wins for trainer Donald McCain at the Scottish venue seeing him hit the century mark.

Fiveandtwenty (6/4 favourite) got the pair up and running in the bet365 Scottish Triumph Hurdle, before Bareback Jack (5/2) lifted the bet365 Scottish Supreme Novices’ Hurdle in fine style.

Hughes told Great British Racing: “Reaching 100 winners is always the first main target for the season. Unfortunately, it’s taken slightly longer than I would have hoped due to racing being abandoned etc, but it’s great to finally reach that target. I now hope to push on and keep riding as many winners as I can.

“The championship is of course the main aim. Winning it last year has made me even hungrier and determined to win it again and retain my title. I will keep trying my hardest to hopefully become champion jockey once again come the end of the season.”

McCain added: “We take a lot of pride in having Brian, the current champion jump jockey, as our stable jockey, so I’m delighted to see him reach 100 winners for the season. In any season, riding 100 winners is a massive achievement.

“We are all behind him in his quest to become champion jockey again this year. It will be fully deserved, great for northern racing, and will cement his place as the top jump jockey at the moment.”

The pair had teamed up successfully on Saturday with Gaelik Coast who provided McCain with his 50th winner of the season when taking the bet365 Frodon Novices’ Chase at 85/40.

The seven-year-old won on his chasing debut in October and is now two from four over fences after jumping accurately to defeat favourite Getaway Trump by four and three-quarter lengths.

Paul Nicholls, trainer of Getaway Trump, was also in double form on Sunday with Threeunderthrufive (11/10 favourite) maintaining his unbeaten record over obstacles in the bet365 Scottish Stayers Novices’ Hurdle before Get The Appeal (7/1) took the closing handicap hurdle.

On Saturday, Christopher Wood was a tough winner of the bet365 Scottish County Hurdle for the Ditcheat yard, passing Voix Du Reve after the final flight for a three-and-a-quarter-length victory at 11/4.

Mighty Thunder was a runaway 20-length winner of the first day feature, the bet365 Edinburgh National Handicap Chase.

Lucinda Russell’s eight-year-old was taking his chase record to three wins in four starts with this 14/1 success, having triumphed twice at Hexham this season.

One of only four finishers over the four-mile one-furlong trip, Mighty Thunder took the lead five out under Blair Campbell – and was unchallenged after his nearest pursuer Stay Humble took what sadly proved to be a fatal fall at the penultimate fence.

Russell is considering Ayr’s Scottish Grand National as a possible spring target for her winner.

“We’re absolutely delighted with him,” said the Kinross trainer.

“He’s such a happy horse, and I thought he travelled so well and jumped really well – that four-mile distance is made for him, really.

“He likes Musselburgh. He’s run round there before, but I just think his jumping is very efficient, he can just cruise away at that four-mile speed forever.

“We’d love to take him to the Scottish National, but we’ll see. He’s still a novice, so he doesn’t have to go there. It’s just nice to be able to start making those plans.”

Dubai Angel was a convincing 4/1 winner of the bet365 Auld Yin Conditional Jockeys’ Veterans’ Handicap Chase, his first victory since joining Richard Newland’s yard in November.

The 10-year-old led before the second-last and came home a comfortable five and a half lengths ahead of favourite Oscar Ceremony.

Ruinous went one better than his recent second at Newcastle, taking the bet365 Scottish Champion Chase for trainer Tim Reed – with his son Harry riding.

Shoulder to shoulder with favourite Rikoboy, Reed’s six-year-old held on tenaciously to prevail by half-a-length.

Ruinous joined Reed’s stable in November, from Gavin Cromwell’s Meath yard, and struck at 6/1 on only his second start for his new trainer.

“I’m absolutely delighted,” he said.

“We’ve thought a bit of this horse since we bought him – he’s still very much a baby and he’s really a next-year horse, so anything he was going to do this year was a bonus to us, but he did it well.

“As of yet, we haven’t really put him under any pressure, so what you see today is definitely not the finished article. If we can keep this horse healthy, I think he’s got quite a good future.

“He’s really a two and half-mile horse and he needs better ground, so we’d probably be looking at something at the Scottish National (meeting) or Aintree – and then I’d love to run him at Perth over the summer.”