THE £100,000 Phoenix Utilities Ltd Lanark Silver Bell is the highlight on the richest card ever staged at Hamilton Park on Friday evening. Over £212,000 is up for grabs for the seven-race fixture, which also includes the inaugural running of the £50,000 Darnley EBF Novice Stakes. Jim Goldie, successful twelve months ago with Wickywickywheels, is triple-handed in the historic Lanark Silver Bell, which has been run at its current home since 2008. His trio includes three-time course scorer Sir Chauvelin who was only pipped by a neck last year.

One of the likely market principals is Ed Bethell-trained Chillingham, who was fourth in a competitive handicap at Royal Ascot in June. Last month’s Ayr winner Paddy The Squire, trained by Iain Jardine, is one of three three-year-olds in the 1m 4f contest while Roger Varian’s Newmarket raider Postileo, now equipped with first-time cheek-pieces, was a fluent victor of the Buttonhook Handicap over slightly further at the South Lanarkshire venue in May.

By Gordon Brown