Gordon Brown – Race Reporter
Gordon has a wealth of experience of racing through his background in the written and broadcast media. His current principle role is reporting and supporting the scene in Scotland on Racing TV and relaying the latest news with Scottish angles.
Wise Eagle was a popular winner of the £100,000 Queen’s Cup as the curtain rose for the new Flat season at Musselburgh.
Danny Tudhope sent the 9-1 chance ahead passing the pole before the combination held off winning hurdler Metier by half a length.#
“It’s really emotional for a small stable like us winning such a massive pot,” said winning trainer and former jump jockey Adam Nicol.
“He’s won a total of twelve races and I suppose now we’ll be looking at races such as the Chester Cup and Northumberland Plate.
“We didn’t pay a lot for him and we train him on the beach at Bamburgh and Beadnell – he loves splashing about in the sea after he’s done his work.”
Silky Wilkie scorched home for Clifford Lee and Karl Burke in the Scottish Sprint Cup. Drawn right against the stands’ rail, the Middleham raider slammed Vintage Clarets by four and three-quarter lengths.
Lee said: “He’s won over six-furlongs so I made plenty of use of him. He’s been kept busy on the all-weather and should have another good year as our horses are in pretty good form.”
Gweedore, a first ride in Scotland for teenage sensation Billy Loughnane, landed the Silver Arrow Handicap for the second year running to bag his fifth course success. Winning Galashiels trainer Katie Scott said: “He loves it here but he’s also won five times at Ayr so he does like running out of Scotland! I haven’t looked beyond today but I knew I had him ready to run a big race.”
Finn’s Charm was an all-the-way winner of the opening race of the new Scottish Flat season.
The colt, trained by Charlie Johnston, was ridden by Joe Fanning, who suffered a serious arm injury at the East Lothian venue last summer.
“This horse was good enough to run at Royal Ascot last year when he was fourth in the Chesham,” Fanning said.