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.
There is plenty of Scottish interest in Ayr’s feature race as the Craigie venue stages it’s opening Flat card of the year.
In the Play Coral ‘Racing-Super-Series’ For Free Handicap, No less than seven of the ten declared runners are trained north of the border with leading course trainer Jim Goldie and Iain Jardine both double-handed with Sophiesticate and Ayr Poet and Cougar and Can’t Stop Now respectively.
It could be worth siding with Can’t Stop Now, who won twice over course and distance last year, on each occasion with Jardine’s apprentice, Mohammed Tabti, in the saddle.
“Mohammed spent another winter in the Middle East and it’s that he back to spend another summer with us,” Jardine said. “He’s already ridden a winner since coming back and he’s really tremendous value for his 5lb allowance – it’s good that he’s got a few winners left before he drops down to 3lb.”
The card starts with Tabti and Jardine teaming up with Giselles Izzy in the Coral Racing Club Apprentice Handicap, a race the pair landed twelve months ago with Catherine Chroi.
The Johnston stable has a good record in the Coral ‘Pipped-At-The-Post’ And Still Win EBF Maiden Stakes and Charlie saddles an interesting newcomer in Mr Nippy. The colt is the first foal out of Rose Of Kildare, a mare who won six times in all and three races in Group 3 company at up to 1m 2f for the Kingsley House yard.