Horse racing: Mulrennan a Saints & Sinners supersub

The Alan Swinbank-trained colt overcame the soft ground to land the Taggarts Motor Group Maiden Stakes by three-quarters of a length from Amelia Jay. Mulrennan replaced PJ McDonald and said: “The roads were horrendous and there were floods all over the place I was lucky to get here as we had to take a detour or two. It was worth as this is a nice horse and he handled the testing conditions well.He could have a bright future.”

The feature race, the EBF Captain J C Stewart Fillies’ Handicap, went to joint top-weight Madam Maccie who stormed up the hill to trounce What’s Up by eight lengths. Irvine-born Danny Tuphope was on the easier winner of the evening which was trained by David O’Meara.

Phillip Makin took over from Amy Ryan to ride Supreme Luxury to victory for Miss Ryan’s father Kevin in the Irn Bru Open Maiden Stakes. “I wasn’t at Newcastle but I still came through some pretty wet conditions,” said Makin, who put up 1lb overweight on the three-length winner. “She’s a nice big filly and really went through that soft ground.”

The Scottish racing circuit moves on to Musselburgh today where the East Lothian course will round off a successful June which has seen more than 16,000 through the gates at the Edinburgh Cup and Ladies Day meeting .

Today’s feature race is the £10,000 Investec Wealth and Investment Handicap at 3.45pm, and one of the leading fancies has to be Oldjoesaid from the in-form Paul Midgley stable with Tom Eaves in the saddle.

Oldjoesaid broke a long losing run at Catterick last time out and, with his confidence restored, can take full advantage of his still lenient mark in the handicap.

The Turcan Connell Handicap (3.10) sees the veterans Oddsmaker and Wind Shuffle renew an old rivalry.

The latter, now trained by Richard Fahey, was an encouraging third behind Raleigh Quay at Hamilton earlier in the month but may have to play second fiddle to Oddsmaker. Maurice Barnes’s evergreen 11-year-old was bidding for his seventh Musselburgh success when mugged in the final strides by Talk Of Saafend at the last meeting. Eaves takes over in the saddle today and, in past seasons, the front running Oddsmaker has always needed a race to reach peak form.

The longest race on the card, the two-mile Bruce Stevenson Insurance Brokers Handicap (4.20), provides the consistent Spruzzo with an opportunity to gain an overdue victory.

Chris Fairhurst’s stayer was again in the frame when third behind Rosairlie and Orsippus at Ripon.

The runner-up scored in better company at Pontefract last Sunday to advertise the form of the Ripon encounter.

A minutes silence will be held before the first race in memory of talented 21-year-old jockey Campbell Gillies who tragically died while on holiday in Greece earlier this week.

Musselburgh will also stage a tribute to the jockey in the parade ring at the conclusion of the first race.