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.
Mack The Man is gunning for a repeat win on the first day of the Go North Series Finals at Musselburgh.
Trained by Nick Alexander and partnered by his amateur rider son Kit, the Kinneston raider bids to follow up last year’s success in the Racing Post Go North Sea Pigeon Hurdle Series Final.
“He was sourced by Kit with a view of riding him himself and they’ve had plenty of fun together,” the trainer said. “They have won three times as a team, including in this race last year, but he’s a bit higher in the ratings this time.”
Rivals to the top-weight in the £30,000 two-mile contest include likely market principals Haarar and No No Fizz trained by Sam England and Fergal O’Brien respectively.
The first of the four featured races is the Ladbrokes Go North Grey Bomber Juvenile Series Final, in which Lucinda Russell’s Johnny Ringo could be the one to beat.
A winner at Musselburgh on New Year’s Day, he was also third over the same course and distance in the Listed Scottish Triumph Hurdle on Cheltenham Trials Day in early February.
Lady Babs aims to extend her winning sequence to four-in-a-row in the Racing Post Go North Lady Buttons Mares’ Hurdle Series.
Trained in MIddleham by Andy Crooks and ridden by Conor Rabbitt, she arrives in East Lothian in great heart following two wins at Carlisle and a strike at Market Rasen in the last six weeks.
Rebecca Menzies is tripled-handed in a wide-open Ladbrokes Go North Brindisi Breeze Hurdle Series Final over three miles.
The Co Durham handler is represented by Star Vantage, Edgewell and You Some Girl, who already has course and distance winning form this season.
A total of ten Go North finals are to be staged at Musselburgh, Kelso (tomorrow) and Carlisle (Sunday) as the culmination of a season-long series of qualifiers aimed at boosting the appeal and profile of racing in the north.