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.
Moonstone Boy is chasing a course and distance hat-trick as he lines up for the Barbara Ann Letham And Son Johnathan Memorial Handicap on the final card of the season at Hamilton Park.
Trained by Iain Jardine and ridden by Andrew Mullen, the Dumfriesshire raider has been raised 6lbs for his two wins on heavy ground last month and he has yet to race beyond this minimum trip of five-furlongs.
One of his main rivals in the £17,000 contest could be Kevin Ryan-trained Mon Na Slieve, who is returning from a short break following wind surgery. He cost 190,000gns as a breeze-up two-year-old and has some form in Listed company to his name.
There is also decent prize money up for grabs in the David Equi 60th Birthday Celebrations Handicap staged over 1m 1f.
Jim Goldie saddles the likely favourite in the shape of Faylaq, who has gone up 3lbs for his nail-biting triumph in the valuable Betfred Mallard Handicap at Doncaster’s St Leger festival.
Hollie Doyle, who has three rides on her first visit of the year to the South Lanarkshire venue, partners Archie Watson’s Chaturanga, who hasn’t been seen out since scrambling home in a photo-finish for the same partnership at Ayr in July.
The fixture gets underway with the Book Your Christmas Party at Hamilton Park Amateur Jockeys’ Handicap in which vastly-experienced Serena Brotherton is on board So Grateful for Mick and David Easterby.