Diamond strike for Rob Hornby on Pivoine in John Smith's Cup

Super Saturday can be really super for some of the less heralded members of the weighing room. Ask Rob Hornby.

Not even human dynamo Silvestre de Sousa can be in three places at once and having top-class cards at Ascot, Newmarket and York on the same afternoon means big-race opportunities arise for those who don't always get them.

Hornby grabbed the chance with both hands to ride the biggest winner of his career as Pivoine landed the £200,000 John Smith's Diamond Jubilee Cup – just minutes before De Sousa took the Summer Mile at Ascot on Beat The Bank in the same King Power colours.

And the jockey will have done his reputation as well as his bank balance a power of good, after delivering a perfect ride on the 14-1 shot.

Pivoine and Rob Hornby charge homeCredit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

Riding the course-and-distance winner for the first time, he had to grab a prominent position on a track where it can be hard to come from behind on quick ground, yet he also had to get cover so as to save his mount's energy for the business end.

But Hornby, 24, got things spot on, hitting the front just inside the final furlong and thwarting the gambled-on Setting Sail by a length.

"It went too smoothly!" joked the jockey, who has spent his whole career with winning trainer Andrew Balding. "I was thinking 'when's it going to go wrong?'.

"He's a high-quality horse who's been perfectly placed by Andrew. He likes it here but it's important to get him into a rhythm. It's not easy to get a position and then settle but he did that today, which I thought was crucial. Then the whole way up the straight I was just trying to hold on until he unleashed the turn of foot he's got."

Rob Hornby returns in triumphCredit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

Hornby is more than halfway to last year's personal-best tally of 59 winners but fully appreciates the importance of a showcase victory in a big race.

"This is just great," he said. "I've been knocking on the door of a few valuable races recently, last year with Maid Up in the Lillie Langtry was heart-breaking and Flashcard in a big sales race in Ireland was beaten less than a length.

"To win this and get on the big stage is so important for your career and I couldn't be more grateful for the opportunity. I've been with Andrew Balding from day one, eight years ago when I was 16. They've been great to me throughout my career and I hope it continues."

Balding's wife Anna Lisa was full of praise for Hornby and said: "Rob gave him an amazing, textbook ride.

"The instructions were to keep him up there but give him as much cover as he could and it just opened up for him. I saw the Godolphin horse that there'd been massive money for lurking but luckily we got first run on him.

"Things didn't go quite right for Pivoine at Ascot last time and fingers crossed he can build on this."

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