Jim lands 380-1 treble on a very special Sunday at Ayr
Goldie looks well set up for his best ever year at local track
JIM Goldie continued his incredible run of form at Ayr Racecourse this season when saddling a 380-1 treble at the track on Sunday.
That brought Big Jim’s tally at the course to 13 from the first eight meetings in 2023 – and he is well set up to have his best ever season at Ayr – a course which he just loves and where he saddled his 1000th career winner last year.
His first success came in Sunday’s opening race, the Ayrshire Cancer Support Amateur Jockeys’ Handicap over 5f when the 10-1 shot One Last Hug recorded his third course win of the year. He was given a fine ride by young Jack Nicholls to cross the line half a length to the good over Woobay.
Banner Road was Jim’s second winner of the afternoon, landing the Classified Stakes over a mile under Sam James at odds of 7-1, while the well backed Braes Of Doune held on by a head to beat the fast-finishing Rory The Cat in the 1m 2f handicap that ended the day. The five-year-old was ridden by Paul Mulrennan and was sent off at 100-30.
The winner is a full brother of One Last Hug and Jim said: “We had been running One Last Hug over longer, but this season we have been running him over sprint distances and we’ll keep him to these races now.
“Braes Of Doune won over 1m 2f and probably wants even further. I bred them both so I am really happy.”
The Goldie yard had seven declared runners for yesterday’s card, and check this column next week to see how they fared.
Elsewhere on Sunday’s card, the feature race, the Book Bounce Bingo At Ayr Raceand Handicap over a mile, provided the three-year-old filly Sparks Fly with her sixth successive win – and the manner in which she scored here suggests she is not finished her winning spree yet.
It was a first winner at the track for trainer David Loughnane and jockey Laura Pearson and she easily overcame the front running Alpha Sierra to win by two lengths.
A very happy jockey told Racing TV afterwards: “She is just so progressive and keeps on improving. She went to her left and just does her own thing but there’s a fair bit left and I’d say there’s more to come.”
The two-year-old contest on the day was the EBF Maiden Stakes and was won by the Kevin Ryan trained colt Vantheman, ridden by Tom Eaves, at odds of 9-2.
The colt had been a good third on his only previous start at Haydock in June and built on that here winning cosily from debutant Appellant. His stable do well with their juveniles at Ayr and he looks the sort to progress even further over the summer.
Lambourn trainer Archie Watson won the 1m 2f handicap on the card for the second year in a row when Chriszoff bolted up in the hands of experienced jockey Luke Morris.
The 13-2 chance cruised through the race and triumphed by two and a half lengths from the running-on Tilsitt. This run will have caught the eye of the handicapper, but this son of Zoffany looks as if he’d easily step up in grade.
The win maintained Archie Watson’s superb record at Ayr with 10 wins from 40 runners giving him an impressive 25% strike rate.