Thistle score in Queen’s Cup

HAPPY Partick Thistle fans were thin on the ground at Ibrox after their 2-0 defeat to Rangers but there was one to be found at Musselburgh.

Jimmy Long’s Thistle Bloodstock horses run in the club’s colours and one of them, Carbon Dating, won the totepool Queen’s Cup at Musselburgh with his other runner, The Tartan Spartan, finishing third.

Carbon Dating, trained in Ireland by Pat Shanahan, did not win until his 18th attempt, at Hamilton last July, but added two more victories in Abu Dhabi over the winter.

Yesterday, he beat Maleficent Queen by one-and-a-half lengths.

Sammy Jo Bell rode her first winner for 11 months when Cullingworth won the totepoolliveinfo.com Royal Mile Handicap.

Bell made great strides as an apprentice in 2015, when she was the star of the Shergar Cup meeting at Ascot, but she suffered a pelvic injury, when her mount reared at Carlisle last May, and was out until last month.

Her previous winner was at Musselburgh and Cullingworth, trained by Richard Fahey, led inside the final furlong to hold Grey Britain by a head.

“I’ve not had many rides since I’ve come back,” Bell said. “Sometimes you ride and then it’s a week until your next one. You don’t ride with as much confidence as you would if you bang in winners every day of the week.

“Richard has been very good to me and I’m delighted that he’s given me a chance. This winner is quite special.”

Linda Russell’s Grand National winner One For Arthur was paraded before racing as celebrations of the achievement continued, while Russell passed another milestone at Carlisle where Catchthemoonlight took the trainer to a 600th career winner with victory in the totescoop6 Play Today Mares’ Handicap Hurdle.