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.
Jim Goldie is double-handed in the feature race on the opening card of Hamilton Park’s centenary year.
Mountain Road and Humble Spark represent the Uplawmoor trainer in the £30,000 Heineken Buttonhook Handicap, a race he has won in the past, most recently twelve months ago with Faylaq.
In-form Lauren Young, who has won on two of her last four rides, partners Humble Spark while Paul Mulrennan is on board Mountain Road, a horse making just his third appearance for the Goldie stable.
“Humble Spark is better known as a six-time all-weather winner but his one turf win did come at Hamilton and his other two runs at the track saw him come second and third,” Goldie said.
“Mountain Road came to us from David Simcock and he stays well – he’s won twice over two miles and twice over 1m 6f. He’s owned by Scott Fyffe and will come on for his first run after a fair bit of time off at Musselburgh last Sunday.”
Westport, trained in Newmarket by George Boughey, puts his unbeaten record on the line in the Aspire Cleaning & Facilities Ltd Novice Stakes
Already a winner at Lingfield and Leicester this term, he carries the colours of the late Sheikh Mohammed Obaid, who won the Listed Glasgow Stakes twice with subsequent Group 1 scorers Postponed and Defoe.
Conclave, trained at Kingsclere in Hampshire by Andrew Balding, could be hard to beat in the £40,000 Darley Stallions EBF Novices Stakes.
He was awarded the race at Kempton on his debut after the first-past-the-post’s jockey failed to draw the correct weight and was a close second to a smart Godolphin recruit at the same venue last time.
Arkenstaar bids for an eighth Hamilton Park strike in the Aspire Cleaning & Facilities Throughout Scotland Handicap.
Trained near Darlington by Michael Dods, he won the race in 2024 and was a close fourth last year.