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.
Judgment Call bids for a second successive victory in the £20,000 feature race on the 20th year of a sold-out Ladies Day card at Musselburgh on Friday.
Trained near East Kilbride by Linda Perratt, the handsome gelding faces seven rivals in the Champagne Pommery Brut Royal Gold Cup Handicap over seven-furlongs.
“He was very impressive when winning by over five lengths last year so more of the same would be nice!” Miss Perratt said. “He’s wee bit higher in the weights but he’s run some cracking races at Musselburgh and was just beaten into second two or three weeks ago.”
The opposition to Judgment Call include Ed Bethell-trained Gressington, a half-length winner at Beverley last time, and dual course and distance scorer On A Session, jointly-trained by David and Nicola Barron.
Judgment Call isn’t the only one after back-to-back wins as Simple Star is on a repeat mission in the Copper Blossom Ladies Day Handicap over 1m 4f.
Trained in Cumbria by Dianne Sayer, twelve months ago he scrambled home by a short-head in the familiar colours of Doreen Monteith.
There are only three British Flat courses that top jockey James Doyle has yet to record a winner at and Musselburgh is one of them.
He arrives on the east coast of Scotland solely to ride Evening Saigon, a 160,000 Breeze-Up purchase, in the British Stallion Studs EBF Novices Stake and will be hoping his 13th ride at the track is a lucky omen.
The likely warm favourite is the first runner at the venue, where a crowd of over 8,000 is expected, for fledgling Newmarket trainer Hamad Al Jehani.