HORSE RACING
BY IAIN FERGUSON
Two time champion jockey Paul Hanagan rode his 2,000th winner last week at Newcastle and immediately nominated his 2006 Ayr Gold Cup win on Fonthill Road as one of his most memorable wins. The multiple Group 1 winning jockey who piloted Taghrooda to land the 2014 Oaks was featured in a short film to mark his career milestone following last Tuesday’s milestone.
And in addition to talking about that Classic winner six years ago and his many Group successes he made special mention of his Gold Cup victory.
Ayr has a very special place in the 40 year- old’s heart as he rode his first ever
Group winner at the track on Golden Legacy in the 2004 running of the Firth
Of Clyde Fillies’ Stakes and he won the same race this year on Umm Kulthum.
He also enjoyed Doonside Cup success with the outstanding filly Anna Pavlova in 2007 and his other major successes at the Craigie course include Rebecca Rocks in the 2019 Land O’Burns Fillies’ Stakes, Listed Race, Utmost Respect in the 2007 Ayr Silver Cup and earlier this year he clinched his 100th Ayr winner on board Exceptional in the Arran Scottish Sprint EBF Fillies Stakes, Listed Race.
In addition to being one of the top jockeys of his generation Paul is also a highly popular member of the Weighing Room and one of the most pleasant people you could meet. I texted my congratulations to him last Tuesday and had a reply thanking me within minutes despite the fact he still had more rides to come at Newcastle.
That sums him up; he really is a true gentleman.
From Flat to jumps racing and we stage a six race card at Ayr today ( Wednesday) when the William Hill Raceday has two feature races – both Class 3s. The first of these is the two mile Limited Handicap Chase and although only four go to post here the quality is sky high with Nicky Richards running the unbeaten Marown a horse he thinks can develop into a top chaser. The second Group 3 is the William Hill Racing Radio Handicap Chase which sees eight go to post including three course winners – the Gillian Boanas trained Crixus’s Escape, Caventara from the in- form Sandy Thomson yard and Nicky Richards Glittering Love. The afternoon’s action gets under way at 12.35pm with a 2m 3f handicap hurdle
where the top two in the weights Made For You and Those Tiger Feet come from the
leading southern stables of Olly Murphy and Kim Bailey.