Horse racing: Goldie’s Hillview Boy aims to scale heights

JIM Goldie is mounting a strong challenge on the Ladbrokes Lanark Silver Bell tonight with his four runners in the historic £24,000 handicap at Hamilton Park headed by top-weight Hillview Boy.

The Renfrewshire trainer said: “He loves the course and the ground and was a cracking second in the Listed Braveheart Stakes over this trip back in the spring. I expect him to run another big race as gets on well with Graham Lee.”

Goldie also saddles Merchant Of Dubai, Pokfulham and Staff Sergeant and he added: “Merchant Of Dubai ran a cracker on his first run for us in last year’s Braveheart Stakes and that race produced a Melbourne Cup second, an Ebor winner and a Group 3 Dubai Carnival winner. We’ve put cheek-pieces on in an attempt to galvanise him and, if they work, he won’t be far away. Pokfulham has won two at Newcastle for us this year but he’s also won at Hamilton and been second there a couple of times. He’s fresh and well and that’s when he seems to run at his best. Staff Sergeant is being stepped back up in trip after running at 7f to 10f and he stayed on into second over a mile and a quarter last time at Ayr. He’ll be a player and should run well if he stays.”

Last year’s winning trainer Mark Johnston is triple-handed with Becausewecan, Bordoni and market principal Assizes, ridden by Hawick-born apprentice Jason Hart.

Hart will be wanting to ride as many winners as he can before he starts an enforced “holiday”. He was given a 21-day ban (31 August-30 September) yesterday by the British Horseracing Authority having been found guilty of using his whip above the permitted level for the fifth time since April.

Fellow Scots jockey David Allan has also been banned for 18 days. Allan used his whip above the permitted level on Wordsaplenty at Catterick on August 17, but the matter was referred to the BHA as it was his fifth offence in the previous six months. Allan will be out 
of action from 31 August to 17 September inclusive.

In York’s big race yesterday Shareta gained a well-deserved Group 1 success with a narrow verdict over The Fugue in the Darley Yorkshire Oaks. The French filly, trained by Alain de Royer-Dupre, wore down The Fugue in the closing stages to score by a neck under Christophe Lemaire. Was, who was prominent early on with Shareta (2-1), was a length and three-quarters away in third in a race run in driving rain.