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.
DUAL Grand National-winning trainer Lucinda Russell is after some Flat success with Flylikeaneagle on the opening card of Ayr’s Flat campaign on Thursday.
The Kinross raider, who is partnered by 7lb apprentice Brandon Wilkie, faces four rivals in the Western House Hotel Award Winning Weddings Handicap over a mile.
“He was pretty fit from hurdling when he won at Musselbugh on Easter Saturday,” Miss Russell said. “He won fairly convincingly so hopefully he’ll be all set now for another good season after his our wins on the Flat in 2022.”
Russell, who struck again in the Aintree marathon last month with Corach Rambler, set a new Scottish record for jumps winners in the recently ended 2022-23 campaign with 71 victories, beating her own previous best high total of 66 which she posted in 2013-14.
The 2023 Ayr Flat year gets underway with the Book Bubbly Brunch 28 May Apprentice Handicap, in which only one of the seven runners,(Charlie Johnston’s Dark Company) is trained south of the border.
Fleur De Mer, trained by Cheshire-based Hugo Palmer, bids to build on her debut at Doncaster last autumn in the feature contest, the £10,000 Book Unite Summer Raceday 24 June Maiden Fillies’ Stakes.