Dhaular Dhar springs Musselburgh shock to end barren run

DHAULAR Dhar had not tasted victory in almost two-and-half years before he was saddled at Musselburgh yesterday, but Jim Goldie's once-formidable handicapper put his younger rivals in their place when springing a 14-1 shock in the £17,000 feature race.

Ridden by Paul Norton, Dhaular Dhar - who has done most of his racing over seven furlongs and a mile - appreciated the step up to nine furlongs in the Graham The Plumbers Merchant Handicap, and despite being the eldest of the nine runners at the age of eight, he got the better of 3-1 shot Smarty Socks, who filled second spot and Faithful Ruler (12-1) in third. Fox Hunt, the 2-1 favourite trained by Mark Johnston, could finish only fourth.

Dhaular Dhar, owned by the Middleham Park Racing syndicate, once had a handicap rating of 100, but had only tasted victory once in the past three years, at Doncaster in May 2008. But he has had a light campaign this year after signing off for 2009 with a hurdles outing. He had run only three times in the 2010 turf season, and looked a fresh horse as he scooted to a three-quarters length triumph in the East Lothian sunshine.

Paul Hanagan rarely leaves Musselburgh without a winner, and the title-chasing jockey again did not disappoint his followers, this time riding a treble, completed when the Richard Fahey-trained Justonefortheroad (3-1 favourite) took the Scottish Racing Your Better Bet Handicap.

Hanagan had been seen at his strongest earlier on 9-4 shot Arriva La Diva to get the better of a ding-dong battle with 5-4 favourite Atlantic Beach by a neck in the claimer. Hanagan had enjoyed a far smoother success an hour earlier when 4-9 favourite Boundaries justified his skinny SP with a two-and-a-half length success in the maiden auction stakes.

The judges took a while to call 15-8 favourite Social Rhythm the winner of the opening seven-furlong handicap, PJ McDonald just getting up by a nose to deny Amy Ryan on Peter's Gift.

Another tight finish came in the 10,000 Racing UK Handicap, won by Secret Millionaire. The 12-1 victor, trained by Patrick Morris, scored by a short-head from 16-1 shot Nickel Silver, with 9-2 favourite The Nifty Fox a further neck adrift in third.

On what was generally a profitable day for punters, the favourite sent them home happy by winning the lucky last as jockey Silvestre de Sousa continued his fruitful partnership with David O'Meara with victory on Cheyenne Chant (11-8). Vittachi (10-3) was second followed by Dubawi King (9-4).