Ayr Saturday
Coral Scottish Grand National
KAP Vert (Philip Hobbs and Johnson White/Sean Houlihan) put a gloss on a fine season for his stable when winning the Coral Scottish Grand National at odds of 20/1 on Saturday, beating Git Maker (Jamie Snowden/Jonathan Burke) and race favourite Kim Roque (Joseph O’Brien/J.J. Slevin) by a length and a half, and a nose. The six-year-old was having just his fifth start over fences and is unexposed as a stayer.
“The whole race went to plan,” said White. “He has a great way of crossing his fences, so turning in all that was left to answer was stamina. I think it helped that the Irish National, Aintree and the Scottish National were hot on the heels of each other, but it still takes a big effort to pick up any National. Hopefully, as a six-year-old, there’s still plenty to come.”
Local Hero
The Grade 2 Coral Scottish Champion Hurdle had a local winner, when Kelso-trained Dedicated Hero scored for Sandy Thompson and Danny McMenamin, beating Captain Hugo (Philip Hobbs and Johnson White) by five lengths. Ooh Betty (Ben Clarke/Sam Twiston-Davies) finished third, as she had 12 months earlier.
The race hinged on an incident at the second last, when leader Tutti Quanti and Harry Cobden crashed out of the contest, interfering with All In You, who was travelling best at the time. That left Dedicated Hero in front and the 12/1 chance kept on well to maintain his lead to the line.
“That’s not a bad way to get my 80th winner of the season,” said winning rider Danny McMenamin. “I got a lovely position behind Harry for most of the way. Ideally, he wants further, but with the ground the way it was it all worked out.”
Elsewhere on the card at Ayr, there was a hat-trick of Irish-trained winners. Gordon Elliott unleashed two smart prospects in novice hurdle winner Apache Tribe (5/6 favourite for McGlone Brothers Partnership) and ready bumper winner Skerry Hill (7/4 favourite) in the Ronnie Bartlett colours), both ridden by Danny Gilligan.
Trainer Ciaran Murphy registered his first winner in Britain in the £75,000 Scotty Brand Handicap Chase with owner-breeder Pat McCormack’s Moudan. Well backed into 4/1, he accounted for Gavin Cromwell’s French recruit Le Nez Cruz by 11 lengths under Sean Bowen.
Newbury Saturday
KARL Burke has his talented string in excellent fettle, as he showed when saddling 9/1 chance Alparslan (Clifford Lee) to take the Group 3 Greenham Stakes (run as the Watership Down Stud Too Darn Hot Greenham), scoring by a length and three-parts of a length from market rivals Zavateri (Eve Johnson Houghton/Charlie Bishop) and Albert Einstein (Aidan O’Brien/Ryan Moore).
Alparslan made all and lengthened when asked to put his rivals to the sword, for all the placed pair made late headway to keep the winner up to his work. Zavateri wasn’t far off his juvenile form in finishing second here, while Albert Einstein ran well in third, but had the advantage of a previous run this season.
Speaking to Sky Sports Racing, Karl Burke said of Alparslan: “I’m sure he will turn up at one of the Guineas - it’s just which Guineas we go for. He’s a high-class horse and he’s got a great mind as well. The trip is the big question. But when you watch the last 50 yards there, he’s not stopping. They are nice problems to have and a good discussion to have with Mohamed Al-Shahi, his owner. Cliff said he is a bit of a big, heavy, gawky horse. Whether racing around a bend at Longchamp would be his cup of tea, I don’t know. The Curragh would probably suit him well.”
Burke and Lee double up
Karl Burke and Clifford Lee completed a double on the card when Convergent showed himself a contender for major middle-distance honours when winning the Group 3 John Porter Stakes, run as the Dubai Duty Free Finest Surprise Stakes. The son of Fascinating Rock was sent off at 4/1 for his seasonal return.
Convergent made his bid on the far rail in the straight and did well to win after being shuffled back as early leader Phantom Flight began to weaken, but Lee switched him right and he finished strongly to get the better of Al Aasy (William Haggas/Tom Marquand) by half a length, with that one’s stablemate Tenability (Cieran Fallon) keeping on for third.
After the race, Burke said: “He had a good winter break and he’s been working really well with nice horses. I think he’s a Group 1 horse in the making. I’d say the Coronation Cup is high on the list - whether he handles Epsom we’ll find out. I think he’s a mile and a half horse with a good turn of foot. If we can keep him sound and keep him going the right way, I think there’s a Group 1 in him for sure.”
Sukanya surprises
The Group 3 Fred Darling Stakes, run as the Dubai Duty Free Stakes, threw up a surprise winner in the shape of Sukanya (Jack Channon/David Probert), who looked exposed after five juvenile outings and was sent off at 16/1 for her return, but proved too street-smart for her rivals in beating favourite Touleen (Owen Burrows/Saffie Osborne) by three-parts of a length.
Domina Ignis (Kevin Philippart de Foy/David Egan) was third, two lengths behind the winner. Held up, she made good headway over a furlong out and kept on strongly to gain a deserved success, although not one that saw much of a shake-up in the 1000 Guineas betting.
Around the tracks
DAN Skelton will be crowned champion jumps trainer at Sandown today and he achieved the remarkable feat of training a winner at every UK jumps course in the course of a season, when Heltenham (Harry Skelton) won the Bedmax Capercaillie Handicap Chase at Perth on Wednesday.
Skelton was expected to achieve that feat with Panic Attack in the Listed Fair Maid of Perth Mares’ Chase, but the Paddy Power/Coral Gold Cup heroine could finish only third behind a resurgent Apple Away (Lucinda Russell and Michael Scudamore/Derek Fox) just 11 days after taking a heavy fall in the Grand National at Aintree.
No Drama This End (Paul Nicholls/Harry Cobden) won the Listed Gold Castle Novices’ Hurdle on Wednesday’s card to regain some of the lustre lost by his flop in the Turners Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham.
He proved his stamina for three miles by beating the Skelton-trained Tormund Giantsbane by three and a half lengths.
Thursday’s card was notable for the domination of the Bowen family, with brothers Mickey, James and Sean all on the scoresheet, and the highlight was a dead heat in Join RacingTV Now Handicap Chase between James on Statuario, trained by Mickey, and American Mike (Olly Murphy), ridden by Sean, who lost his whip between the last two fences, but still conjured a strong finish from the enigmatic gelding to share the spoils.
Amazingly, this is now the second time that the brothers have been involved in a dead heat, with the same thing happening in the Triumph Hurdle Trial at Cheltenham in December 2024.