Ahoy is a huge challenge for Brian Hughes - and one that could silence the champion's doubters at last

The reigning champion jockey and runaway title leader on his way to a third championship in four years riding a fancied horse in a Grade 1 at Aintree. So what, you might ask; the best jockeys on the best horses is the norm.

But that’s not quite the case with Brian Hughes at Aintree as he prepares for his first ride in an open Grade 1 chase since the 2021 Betfair Chase, when he pulled up on Waiting Patiently.

It is great news Derek Fox is almost certain to be fit to ride Corach Rambler in the Grand National, but a niggling shoulder injury means he is unable to ride Ahoy Senor in the Alder Hey Bowl on Thursday. One person’s loss is inevitably another’s gain, though, and suddenly Hughes has been thrust into the spotlight as Fox's replacement.