Tilsitt scores a home victory
Mike Smith is not only a top trainer but he also has an eye for a bargain at the sales and it was fitting at Ayr on Monday a horse he purchased for a mere £3,500 almost exactly a year ago won the feature race on the card.
Tilsitt had his first run for Mike on June 2 last year having been bought out of Ivan Furtado’s yard and Monday was his 16th run for the Galston handler and his third victory with a further nine placed efforts to his credit.
Given a peach of a ride by the highly experienced PJ McDonald, the 5-2 favourite struck the front approaching the final furlong and crossed the line a cosy length clear of Upper Lambourn raider Arctic Emperor.
And hands up I have to declare here and now that I have a small share in the five year old along with some of my colleagues at the Racecourse and other friends and acquaintances.
And along with Mike Smith and members of his team we made ourselves heard as we watched the action unfold.
I had the honour of announcing the winner before I rushed over to hear PJ’s debrief and then for chats with the other members of Racing Connexions as to where we might go next.
Mike told me afterwards: “He’s been running well all season and was unlucky the last couple of times but today things fell right for him and he did it well.”
It was a brilliant few moments on what was a tremendous evening for Scottish trainers at the Platinum Jubilee Raceday with six of the seven winners trained north of the border.
Mike had earlier saddled Flying Moon, another shrewd buy at 3,500 guineas, to win his sixth race for the stable in the Royal Mile Handicap, chased home by stablemate Royal Countess. And with the winner returned at 14-1, the runner-up an 8-1 chance and the forecast paying £115, it’s fair to say there were some celebrations in the camp.
And there were also scenes of joy for Jim Goldie and his followers as the Uplawmoor trainer saddled a treble to continue his magnificent run of form that has seen him fire home nine winners in nine days.
The Goldie bandwagon started rolling with Cosa Sara, 8-1, winning the Holyroodhouse Handicap with Andrew Mullen riding.
That was followed by Grand Canal, 15-8, landing the Royal Deeside Handicap under jockey Paul Mulrennan.
And the treble came up with 7-4 favourite Yaaser and Paul Mulrennan winning the last, the Queen’s Green Canopy Handicap.
A jubilant Goldie was saddling his second treble in five days and said : “The horses are in great form and we fancied ourselves to have a good night and so it turned out.”
Linda Perratt enjoyed her second win in three days when Sixcor, 17-2, came with a late run under Andrew Mullen to win the Balmoral Handicap.
The only non Scottish trained winner was Clearpoint who won the opening novice stakes for Richard Fahey and Irish rider Oisin Orr and was returned the even money favourite after being heavily supported throughout the day.
On a night when a few bargain buys won it’s worth noting this colt cost £100,000 as a yearling – I wonder how many winners a certain Mr Smith could buy with that sort of wedge ?