REVENGE is supposed to be a dish best eaten cold, but the fact his hadn't had enough time to get past lukewarm probably wouldn't have bothered Sam Hitchcott too much at Hamilton yesterday.
Having apparently steered Jollyhockeysticks to victory in the Weatherbys Bank Handicap, Hitchcott hopefully didn't waste a lot of time calculating his winning percentage as it didn't take the stewards long to relieve him of it.
Those who must
be obeyed decreed Hitchcott and his mount had bumped runner-up Deep Winter inside the final furlong and as the winning margin was a short head, placings were reversed. Much to the chagrin of those of us who had bet the 'winner', and much to the delight of supporters of the Paul Hanagan-ridden, odds-on, 'runner-up.' Hitchcott was also given a one-day ban for his troubles.
It didn't take long for the old swings-and-roundabouts theory to kick in, as in the next race the same two jockeys again fought out the finish, but this time the Hitchcott-partnered Supercast was in no danger of having the spoils wrested from his grasp as the pair gamely held off Hanagan and Fujin Dancer.
Johnmanderville again showed the benefits of the unkindest cut of all, assuming you're not the one on the receiving end of it, when landing the opening nursery for Karl Burke in the hands of Andrew Elliott.
The youngster had shown decent form in his three outings so far but those were as a colt, and having been gelded since his latest start, he demonstrated the benefits, if there are any, when scooting clear of his rivals.
Howards Tipple took full advantage of being dropped back into claiming class by notching up another winner for Linda Perratt, while Aleatrics just held on to deny Next Of Kin.
Invincible Lad lived up to the first part of his name to land the five-furlong handicap, while Hanagan ended the day with another success aboard Optical Illusion in a contest that our selection Kenmore cost us a few quid, or saved us, depending on how you look at it, by getting all worked up in the stalls and having to be withdraw.
There should be no such problems at Perth this afternoon when Missgoodytwoshoes and Sandy Foster's Justwhateverulike can land a double in the opening couple of races.
Only a small investment is recommended on Premier Dane in the novices chase, while the two best bets at Scone Palace are Jim Bobs Girl and Notre Cyborg. The former has been running consistently, while the latter was a well beaten nap on his recent seasonal reappearance. From where I was sitting, the best bet wasn't given much of a chance of winning then, so hopefully things will be different this time round.
• Henry Cecil's Phoenix Tower has come in for significant support for Saturday's Coral-Eclipse at Sandown. The sponsors Coral cut Phoenix Tower from 4-1 to 100-30 joint-favouritism with Aidan O'Brien's Mount Nelson after taking plenty of money for the Cecil-trained runner, including one "sizeable four-figure" bet. "All the smart money today has been for Phoenix Tower and he is already a six-figure loser in our ante-post book," said a spokesman.
CORAL-ECLIPSE, sponsors bet: 100-30 Mount Nelson, Phoenix Tower, 4-1 Multidimensional, 11-2 Pipedreamer, 7-1 Literato, 9-1 Maraahel, 10-1 Rob Roy, 12-1 Campanologist, 20-1 Stotsfold, 40-1 Hattan.
The full article contains 587 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
