Lucky number seven for veteran Jan Smuts
● Musselburgh’s 10- 1 winner proves his worth again
Jan Smuts rolled back the years to land the seventh race of his career at Musselburgh yesterday.
Having his 117 th start and sent off at 10-1, the veteran fairly stormed home under Nathan Evans to beat G ran Maestro by six lengths in the Hawthorne Girls Supporting Racing Staff Week.
He has run 12 times with success over hurdles but has managed to strike on seven occa- si on son the level. Winning County Durham handler Wilf Storey said: “He’s a tough old boy, just like his owner/ trainer! He still usually manages to win a race ever y season and two years ago he was winning off some 20lbs higher.”
In-form David O’ M ear a struck with Mujassam in the Ray Hawthorne Memorial Supporting Racing Staff Week Handicap.
The top- weight was following up a success at Hamilton Park six days earlier having been runner-up at Beverley just 48 hours before that.
KeithDa lg leish landed an 18- 1 double with Jacob Black and Falcon’ s Fire rid den by PJ Mcdonald and Rowan Scott respectively. And Jamie Gormley made his last mount riding as a 5lb apprentice a winning one as he scored on Eternal- ist for Jim Goldie in the AIUA Insurance Handicap. The Lang holm rider’ s next rides are tomorrow when his allowance will drop to 3lb.
Maurice Barnes is hoping for a big run from his course and distance winner Jovial Joey in the feature race at Perth today.
The Cumbrian raider, whose course win came at the 2017 Perth Festival, faces six rivals in the £ 15,000 Horizon Parking Handicap Chase over three miles at the Scone track.
Barnes, a Grand Nationalwinning jockey on Scottish trained Rubstic in 1979, said: “This trip on nice ground suits Jovial Joey and we bought him three years ago togo chasing. Our horses are on pretty decent format the moment so he should have a bit of a chance.”
Kilbree Kid is another who knows where the winning post at Perth is, as he has recorded no less than five win sat the UK’S most northerly track.
Four of the strikes for the Tom George - trained gelding have come over fences, with the other in a hurdle race back in 2013.
The sole Scottish-trained runner is A million times from t he Inverurie yard of Jackie Stephen. The bottom- weight has won twice at Perth over fences and once over hurdles.
Alizee de Janeiro, trained by Lucinda Russell, is one of six declared for the Mackie’s World Class Indulgence Handicap Chase. A winner over a shorter trip at Per thin May, he carries the colours of Deborah Thomson who is one of the Two Golf Widows that own 2017 Grand National hero One For Arthur.
Perth Race course groundstaff have been working around the clock to ensure that the track is suitable for today’s meeting, with the going officially good. The racecourse has also installed a brand- new cooling system to provide horses and stable staff with shelter before and after running in the hot weather.
Gates open at 12no on with the first race scheduled for 2: 10pm.