Last Meeting Review – Monday 19 September 2016

By Lewis Anderson

Ahead of a busy week for the racecourse, Hamilton Park served up a competitive eight-race card with short-priced favourites duly obliging on the penultimate afternoon fixture of the season.

After the weekend highs which saw Ayr host three action-filled days at the ‘Western Meeting’, racegoers would have been inclined to take note of trainer Kevin Ryan’s runners.

Anyone who did so will have gone home with a large smile on their face after the North Yorkshire raider continued his recent spell of success in Scotland, bagging a second to last and last race double.

Fresh from landing his fourth Ayr Gold Cup just two days previously, Ryan added to his impressive tally north of the border courtesy of the heavily backed Canny Style (11/8 fav) and The Wee Barra (5/1).

The latter named was notching a second course & distance success in the 1m Music Festival Racenight Featuring The View Handicap. Given a positive ride by 7Ib claimer Lewis Edmunds, the four-year-old responded well to pressure and gamely fended off the fast-finishing opposition to win by a diminishing margin of half a length.

The most impressive victory on the card was that of Canny Style. Running in the familiar colours of Hambleton Racing Ltd, the progressive three-year-old was receiving weight all round from her five rivals and followed up a recent victory at Carlisle with another smooth success in the 6f Glasvegas Headlining Here Next Week Handicap.

Settled well in rear early on by Kevin Stott, the winner travelled menacingly and made eye-catching progress through the field before being produced with his effort inside the final furlong. The step up in distance has seemingly worked the oracle with the filly who won with a bit in hand.

The feature contest on the card – the 1m1f Hopes N Dreams Selling Stakes – went the way of hot favourite, Darrington. Having been dropped in class after a string of below-par efforts, the 8/13 shot took time to warm to his task before eventually asserting inside the final 50 yards under Tony Hamilton for trainer Richard Fahey.

Clifford Lee is a promising young jockey to take note of. The apprentice has formed a fruitful partnership with trainer Karl Burke in recent months and the pair were successful with Mutahaady (2/1 fav) in the opening 6f racinguk.com Nursery.

Following three runs in maidens under former handler Richard Hannon, the Elzaam gelding coped with a 5Ib rise in the weights after a recent success at Carlisle, to record another comfortable success.

That winner saw Lee’s 7Ib allowance reduced to 5Ib and he said: “I’m delighted. Obviously I have to thank Mr Burke, the owners and my agent along with my jockey coach Ross Garritty who have all supported me.

As for the winner who scored by 1 ¼ lengths, he added: “He ran a really nice race at Carlisle last time and seems to be improving. He will probably stay further and the ground suited him.”

Vizier (15/8), previously in the care of southern raider Roger Varian, made a winning debut for new trainer David O’Meara in the 1m Racing Uk Profits Returned To Racing Maiden.

Having his first run since April, the Pivotal gelding travelled strongly in the hands of Danny Tudhope for much of the contest and came home an easy winner.

Dumfriesshire trainer Iain Jardine kept his good run of form going as Judith Gardenier (4/1 jt-fav) shed her maiden tag at the 13^th attempt in the 1m4f Today’s Racing £10 With Racing UK Handicap under P.J. McDonald.

“She’s won nicely and P.J said she really enjoyed the cut in the ground. It’s nice to see her win as she was home-bred by her owner James Cringan and we also won with her half-brother Spes Nostra,” stated Jardine.

In the most exciting finish of the day, Keene’s Pointe (7/2 jt-fav) provided jockey Tony Hamilton with the first leg of a double on the card in division one of the 6f Racing UK Day Pass £10 Handicap. Given a patient ride, the six-year-old arrived late on the scene to deny Shesnotforturning in a photo.

Michael Dods was victorious with his only runner on the card as Reflation (8/1) dug deep to get the better of top weight Jacob’s Pillow in a thrilling finish to division two of the 6f handicap under Connor Beasley.