Wakool turns on New Year style
One of the fastest improving horses in training won for the third time on the bounce at Ayr’s New Year Raceday on Sunday landing the feature race by an eased down six lengths.
Wakool turned six on New Year’s Day and followed his two previous wins at Musselburgh with a classy performance in the Golf Inn Prestwick Handicap Hurdle over three miles and is developing into a formidable staying hurdler.
The first of these Musselburgh victories came off a mark 14lbs lower than he carried on Sunday and if his jockey Conor O’Farrell had ridden him out the winning margin could have been doubled.
The starting price of 3-1 certainly seemed to be a New Year’s gift from the bookies. I’d expect to see trainer Nick Alexander aim Wakool at a big runner staying handicap in the next month or so and after that there could be a tilt at a decent prize at one of the Spring festivals – Ayr, Aintree or Cheltenham.
Sunday’s runner up Storm Nelson is no slouch but couldn’t live with the winner who looked a real class act.
And it was fitting Raymond Cooper and family, who own the Golf Inn and sponsored the race, were rewarded with such an outstanding horse lifting the spoils.
The generous sponsorship include rewards for the owners, trainers and jockeys of the first three horses home and when told he was to receive a prize jockey Craig Nichol who partnered Eternally Yours to third spot joked: “I normal only receive a bollocking for finishing third!”
On an afternoon when all seven races were won by horses trained in Scotland, I was delighted to see Galston trainer Mike Smith back in the winners’ enclosure after Livelifetothemax won the Western Hotel Gift Vouchers Maiden Hurdle.
The lightly raced five year old was having only his fourth start and won well in the end under Ryan Mania.
Again the bookies were kind to the punters with their odds of 6-1.
Ryan Mania scored a treble on the day with his other two winners both coming from his step father-in-law Sandy Thomson.
Goodtimes Badtimes justified 6-4 favouritism when running out a nine lengths winner in the Ayr Racecourse Gift Vouchers Handicap Hurdle and Seemorelights, 4-1, had four lengths to spare over Crack Du Ninian in the Book Coral Scottish Grand National Tickets Handicap Chase.
Not for the first time this season a small field chase produced an exciting spectacle.
Ian Duncan’s Strong Economy and She’sasupermack from the Iain Jardine yard fought out a tremendous battle from two out to the line with the latter prevailing at odds of 2-1 under Conor O’Farrell.
James Ewart saddled a 1-2 in the opening novices’ hurdle with Escapetoevade, ridden by Callum Bewley, four and a quarter lengths clear of stablemate Lord Roco in the hands of Alan Doyle.
If anyone stumbled on the forecast they will still be celebrating as the combination of the 28-1 winner and the 80-1 runner up paid a very tasty £971.52 for a £1 stake on the tote.
Andrew Hamilton made it two wins for the season from his Carluke base when If Not For Dylan won the novices’ handicap chase at 11-1 giving jockey Will Shanahan a welcome winner.