Narrow lead for Shakespeare

Royal Shakespeare regained a narrow advantage in the race for the British Horseracing Board Order of Merit title with a sixth-place finish in the Grade Two Samsung Electronics Scottish Champion Hurdle at Ayr.

Steve Gollings’ charge, who would have been much closer but for a bad mistake at the last, now heads Monkerhostin by just four points in the battle for the £200,000 first prize, with each horse already having bagged the £50,000 for top hurdler and chaser respectively.