Postileo bids for back-to-back wins in the historic £100,000 feature race at Hamilton Park on Friday evening. An impressive winner last year when trained by Roger Varian, he lines up in the Phoenix Utilities Ltd Lanark Silver Bell Handicap along with stable companion and recent Galway scorer Toll Stone from the County Carlow yard of Emmet Mullins. The Irish raiders are the first runners at the South Lanarkshire venue for the Grand National-winning trainer since his only previous representative failed to strike in 2019. Likely market leader is William Haggas-trained La Yakel, whose jockey Cieren Fallon completed a 'full house' of riding a winner on every British Flat track when successful at Hamilton Park earlier this summer. Also prominent in the betting is handicap newcomer Theory of Tides for the father-and-son combination of John and Thady Gosden. He won his first two starts before finishing out of the money in Group 2 company at Royal Ascot in June. Both Scottish runners, Jim Goldie's Faylaq and Iain Jardine's Geremia, ran in the race last year coming third and 11th respectively. Haggas is also represented by The Reverend in the £40,000 Darley EBF Novice Stakes, in which the Gosden yard introduces an interesting debutant in the shape of well-bred colt Military Academy.

By Gordon Brown