Richard Hughes was in record-breaking form at Ayr yesterday and maintained his tremendous strike rate at the course with a near 141-1 treble on Brave Burt, Boogie Street and Matt Blanc.

Brave Burt was only 0.18 sec outside the five-furlong course record of 57.20 set by Sir Joey in 1993, when holding on by a short head from Esatto in the Tote Bigger Winnings Handicap.

But in the juvenile Listed Christine Sadler Designer Harry Rosebery Stakes an hour later, Boogie Street set a new all-aged best time of 56.98 sec for the trip, a tremendous performance by a two-year-old.

Persistent rain had fallen for several hours on ground which had been officially described as good to firm before racing, but while it was changed to good after the first race, it was obviously still somewhat on the fast side.

Hughes has ridden 13 winners from only 29 mounts at the course in the past five seasons, and after returning to the winner's enclosure on Boogie Street, he said: ''As we passed the post I said to the other lads that we had done a fast time. If the grass wasn't wet you would say that the ground is perfect despite the rain.

''It is my lucky course, I rode a four-timer here last year and I once finished second, beaten half a length in a hurdle race here.''

Brave Burt's trainer David Nicholls mounts strong raids on both the Tote Ayr Gold and Silver Cups, and after watching his charge prevail by a short head, having been drawn in stall 12, he said: ''They won't have a hope in hell on the far side (low draw, in the big sprints) and it is a bit unfair on punters that there is such a bias on the track - things could change by Saturday but I don't think they will.''

And of Brave Burt he added: ''He has just been waiting for a bit of cut in the ground and he got it today, that is the key to him - his owners (Lucayan Stud) have a lot of other horses needing the same sort of going and we have got some nice horses to run for them.''

Boogie Street was taking trainer Richard Hannon's score for the season to 100, but after Almizan had won the GAEL Suzuki Handicap under a good ride from Tony Culhane, winning trainer Mick Channon's representative Brian O'Doherty said: ''Some of our lads had a bet with some of Richard's lads on which stable would reach a century first.

''We were one in front on 99, but then we were stuck on that for six days - we got there first in the end and things have kept going well, this win takes us onto 110.''

l Frizzante looks set to go off favourite for the Tote Ayr Gold Cup tomorrow.

The James Fanshawe-trained filly ran a cracking race when fourth in the Vodafone Stewards' Cup at Goodwood from a bad draw but has been allotted a far more advantageous stall position tomorrow.

A high draw is acknowledged as the place to be in this race and punters have clearly latched on to the fact that Jamie Spencer's mount has been drawn 25.

''We have taken a view that a high draw will be an advantage so Frizzante is now our 5-1 clear favourite,'' said Balthazar Fabricius of Ladbrokes.