Gordon Brown – Race Reporter
Gordon has a wealth of experience of racing through his background in the written and broadcast media. His current principle role is reporting and supporting the scene in Scotland on Racing TV and relaying the latest news with Scottish angles.
AYR stages a bumper eight race jumps card on Monday with most of the leading northern stables represented.
And the Coral Scottish Grand National winning combination of trainer Lucinda Russell and jockey Tom Scudamore team up in the Ayrshire Cancer Support Novices’ Hurdle with the JP McManus owned Operation Overlord.
The £70,000 buy has had wind surgery since his only run for the yard in January this year. He is likely to give a good account of himself in a field which includes the dual bumper winner Sauce Of Life trained by Nicky Richards and the mount of Brian Hughes.
Local trainer Mike Smith has nine runners across the card with The Electrician holding string claims in the Ayr Racecourse Sunday Market Handicap Hurdle at 3.05pm. The lightly raced five year-old ran second at the track in May and has Ryan Mania in the saddle. The Grand National winning jockey also rides Melanamix for the Smith yard in the Christmas Parties AtWestern House Hotel Handicap Hurdle at 4.05pm.
The card ends with the Book Your Christmas Break At Western House Open National Hunt Flat Race at 5.20pm and Nicky Richards, who has a great record in this type of race at Ayr, saddles the newcomer Rose Of Siena with Brian Hughes riding.