The victory of Smart Socks in the Class 2 William Hill – Home of Betting Handicap at Doncaster on Derby Day took his trainer David O’Meara, formerly a successful Yorkshire-based jump jockey, onto the 50-winner mark for the campaign, a tremendous achievement in his first season. It also highlighted the resurgence in the career of his jockey Danny Tudhope, arguably the most in-form rider in the country at present.

Scottish-born Tudhope enjoyed a successful apprenticeship with Declan Carroll before increasing weight threatened to derail his promising career. Now that his weight has stabilised, the talented rider has re-established himself with an ever-growing band of trainers, with his compatriot Jim Goldie having provided him with the first chances to reignite his career.

Blue Bajan wins Sandown’s Henry II Stakes

Tudhope’s recent hot spell began in the Group 2 Charles Heidseick Champagne Henry II Stakes at Sandown, which he won on the nine-year-old hurdler Blue Bajan, who has refound his best form this year since his transferral to O’Meara’s stable.

Four days later Tudhope partnered another admirable nine-year-old, the versatile Jim Goldie-trained Nanton, to victory in the totepool Zetland Gold Cup at Redcar on Whitmonday.

Even more startling was Tudhope’s four-timer at Catterick on the Friday: four rides (two for O’Meara and one each for Goldie and Geoff Harker) yielded a 438/1 four-timer. His win on the 9/1 shot Smarty Socks on Channel 4 the following afternoon meant that he had then won on five consecutive rides – at accumulated odds of 4,389/1.