Danny’s double delight at Ayr

Danny Tudhope stretched his lead at the top of the Jockeys’ Championship when he rode a double from two mounts at Ayr yesterday.

He was a single win ahead of Oisin Murphy going into the first race, a six-furlong maiden, and he always looked confident on board the Keith Dalgleish-trained Volatile Analyst. The two year -old always had plenty in hand of his four rivals and won at 4-1.

Ayrshire-born Tudhope’s second win came in the feature, the £15,000 totetrifecta handicap over five furlongs on Arecibo for trainer David O’meara and this 7-1 chance stuck his neck out to win on the line by a head.

The toteexacta handicap over six furlongs was won cosily by Kinch, trained in Ireland by Ger Lyons and ridden by Donagh O’connor .

Pudding Chare ran third at the course on Sunday and followed that with an impressive win in Division One of the apprentice handicap over seven furlongs after being given a really positive ride from Sean Davis. Winning trainer Mike Smith said : “Pudding is crying out for a mile but as he is owned by Ayr Racecourse the plan is to run him here and there was no mile contest suitable for him.”

Meanwhile, at Pontefract today, Ventura Ocean can resume winning ways in the King Richard III Handicap.

Richard Fahey’s three-yearold won first time out this season at the track and was then saved for a valuable pot at York.

He failed to run his race there and on his return to the Knavesmire two weeks later, but this represents a distinct drop in class. The handicapper is slowly relenting and he can build on his early promise.