Dan’sstill themanto beat

Dan Skelton may have won higher rated races but his love affair with the 2-mile four furlong Hillhouse Quarry Handicap Chase at Ayr is legendary.

He’s now won it on four of the last five runnings. The Listed contest is the feature race on the Friday of the Coral Scottish Grand National Festival and the Vernon family are the racecourse’s longest standing sponsors having first supported a race on this card 29 years ago.

Dan won it with his 9 year-old gelding Beakstown- winning his first chase under Harry Skelton.

Saturday’s Listed race, the Scotty Brand Handicap Chase, produced an enthralling finish featuring the north’s top two jockeys – champion elect Brian Hughes and Sean Quinlan. It was the latter who came out on top this time with Return Ticket.

Mark Dunphy is a larger than life character who was delighted at the winners’podium after DoYour Job won the Jordan Electrics Ltd Future Champion Novices’Chase. Not long ago he was sleeping rough- now he has a horse that could run in the King George. Now that’s a fairy tale.