FORMER Glasgow-based bookmaker Matt Sawers landed a hefty wager and punters who had taken advantage of free entry to Musselburgh yesterday celebrated, when Sandwith carried his colours to victory.
The five-year-old was always travelling well in the hands of PJ McDonald, who produced the 5-2 favourite with a well-timed challenge to lead 100 yards from home and stretch two-and-a-quarter lengths clear of Rothesay Dancer. Sawers said of the
Bob Johnson-trained gelding: "I had a few quid on him (£5,000 at 3-1] and he has done it well. I hope to run him in the Ayr Gold Cup."
Geoff Oldroyd got off the 'cold list' in some style, completing a double with Infinity Bond in the maiden and Adozen Dreams, who dead-heated with Cutting Comments in the nursery.
Adozen Dreams (9-1) was also completing a double for Infinity Bond's rider Silvestre de Sousa and the Michael Dods-trained Cutting Comments (5-4 favourite) was doing likewise for Tom Eaves, who had earlier been successful on Nero West in the Gregor Shore Handicap.
There were clearly no doubts about the stamina of Linda Perratt's Nero West (11-8 favourite) as Eaves sent him to the front from the outset in the one-and-three-quarter-mile test and there he stayed, passing the post with four-and-a-half lengths to spare over Gordonsville.
Gordonsville's trainer Jim Goldie went one better when Grand Diamond (11-4), with Danny Tudhope on board, defied top weight to hold off Fern House by a head in the Hill, Williams, Logan – The Rails Bookmakers Handicap.
Racegoers were allowed in free with the meeting's costs underwritten by the on-course bookmakers, and Paul Midgleys' Highland Warrior (1-2) got the day off to a good start, justifying favouritism in the hands of Micky Fenton in the seller.
• Robert Tierney has been warned off until February 2016 after being found guilty in an investigation into a point-to-point ringer. Tierney is already serving a six-year ban for a similar offence and, following his attempt to run Max'N Limbo in place of an unregistered hunter at Staintondale point-to-point in April 2006, he has been warned off for a further five years.
The full article contains 385 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
