'I said I'd do it but I was joking' - Wadge's first double dream comes true

Thursday: Newcastle

Conditional jockey enjoyed the biggest day of his career after a landmark double reduced his claim to 7lb and made it three wins in a row for the conditional jockey.

Wadge scored on Return Fire in the 2m7½f handicap chase, six days after the pair’s easy win at Hexham. That was his last ride, and success aboard 12-1 shot Starlyte in the 2m4½f handicap hurdle brought up the hat-trick.

The double took Wadge’s winning tally to five, all for boss Lucinda Russell, and the 20-year-old has already met his seasonal target.

“I said the other day that my biggest aim this season was to ride out my 10lb claim,” Wadge told Sky Sports Racing. “I said it as a joke, but I’ve gone and done it. It’s brilliant and thanks to Lucinda and everyone.”

Russell praised the work of Wadge behind the scenes for the improved form of Return Fire, who had been difficult to deal with at home but has turned a corner this autumn.

Russell said: “He’s a funny horse, a little bit edgy – you can’t catch him in the field, but Patrick can. The two of them make a lovely combination.

“Patrick has been with us for a couple of years and took a bit of time to get going.

“He’s one of my best work jockeys – he used to ride Ahoy Senor and now rides Haute Estime, who runs at Cheltenham on Sunday. He’s a super horseman.”

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