Lungo's cup flowing over at Ayr

Len Lungo may be better known for his training of steeplechasers but it did not stop him plundering the John Smith’s Ayr Silver Cup with Against The Grain (16-1).

The six-furlong sprint, for horses who missed the cut for Saturday’s Gold Cup, was fiendishly competitive but Joe Fanning bounced his mount out of the stalls and was prominent throughout.

The five-year-old has winning form over further and his stamina was put to good use in the testing conditions as he outstayed Harrison George to win by two and three-quarter lengths.

With the draw giving vital clues to tomorrow’s big race the winner came out of stall seven with Joseph Henry faring best of those drawn high in 25.

Lungo’s last major victory on the level came with Mirjan in the Northumberland Plate, also sponsored by John Smith’s.

“I think I owe John Smith’s a bit now and I am going to have to sup a bit more of their beer!” said Lungo.

“The key to him is the ground and now he has won this maybe he will be rated high enough to run in the Ayr Gold Cup next year if there is some wet weather around again.

“I think he is a seven-furlong horse really, but a horse needs to stay that distance to get the six on this heavy ground.

“He is a bit pottery at the trot and before the race the vet Keith Mason asked me if I was sure he was all right to run and I told him to back the horse each-way!”

Better things are expected from Karl Burke’s Magic Cat following his success under Andrew Elliott in the Grants Fruit Merchants Prestwick Harry Rosebery Stakes.

He was a convincing winner of the five-furlong dash and Burke said: “I think there is a Group race in him.

“He is not in any of the early closing races, although I suppose the Cornwallis Stakes at Ascot would be a possibility. But that is only two weeks away and it might come a bit soon.

“I will have to speak to his owner Ray Bailey but I think could take in another race this season.”

The Michael Dods-trained Hey Up Dad (3-1) made it second time lucky under Tony Hamilton in the Scottish Sun EBF Maiden Stakes, seeing out the seven furlongs well in the testing ground.

“He wants a mile now really but his owner was coming up here so we decided to run,” said Dods.

“That is it for the year and we will set him off at a mile and a quarter next season and then hopefully he will go further.”

Noel Wilson went to the start to make sure Hotham (10-1) went into the stalls for the HGB Properties Handicap and he was rewarded when the five-year-old ran out a decisive winner in the hands of Jamie Moriarty.

There was a stewards’ inquiry as a result of third-placed The Bear’s stall opening a fraction before the rest but the placings were allowed to stand.

The stewards found there was no malfunction of the stalls mechanism and that the starter had pressed the button before The Bear lurched forward and banged his stall gates open before his rivals.

Wilson said of the winner: “The plan now is to run him under a penalty at Pontefract next week in a race he won last year.”

Kevin Ryan flew to Derry in his private plane to attend a funeral in the morning and arrived back in time to see Coleorton Choice (11-4) with Neil Callan on board win the West Sound & West FM Nursery Stakes.

“I think we will put him away for the season, our horses are flying and they look marvellous for this time of the year,” said Ryan.

However, Callan was suspended for one day (October 6) for careless riding.