Spes Nostra lift for James Cringan

Keith Dalgleish: Trainer award. Picture: Gareth Copley

The Strathaven-based breeder shares ownership in the gelding with fellow Scot Douglas Pryde, himself one of the trio that tasted Grand National glory in April with Auroras Encore.

Cringan said: “Tres Coronas ran a cracker at Newmarket and Mickael Barzalona said with a wee bit more rub of the green he might have won. It was still a great effort and he wasn’t beaten very far. Douglas and I have had a few horses together and I have a sizeable yearling filly at home who is the second foal of Spes Nostra’s dam Millagros.

“I don’t breed on a commercial basis – I breed them to race for myself and you get a huge extra kick when you win something with a home-bred.”

Referring to Auroras Encore, Pryde added: “He’s come back in a little burly and he won’t be ready for the Charlie Hall Chase. It looks like he will return at Aintree in December.”

Championship-chasing apprentice Jason Hart was seen at his best on Barkston Ash in the Download At Free Bets App freebets.co.uk handicap. The Hawick-born claimer got Eric Alston’s 16-1 chance up to pip Towbee by a head and said: “He’s got two ways of running and doesn’t like being hit by the whip.

“But when I got to the leader’s quarters I thought I had nothing to lose so I gave him a couple of cracks and he responded.”

Keith Dalgleish was crowned champion trainer at his local track, with Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Al Maktoum taking the award for leading owner.

At Ayr today Beat The Tide can once again demonstrate his abundant stamina with victory in the Debra Charity Handicap, while Black Douglas can hit the target for Jim Goldie in the RBS Mentor Handicap after a pleasing campaign to date.

The four-year-old has been pretty consistent in the second half of the year, winning once and troubling the judge a further four times.

Meanwhile, tributes have been coming in from throughout the racing world after news of the death of Patsy Byrne.

The Irishman was an admired figure around the greyhound and horseracing circuit.

Byrne’s pink and blue colours were seen carried to victory only recently by White Star Line in the Kerry National at Listowel, while he won this season’s Northumberland Plate at Newcastle with the Jonjo O’Neill-trained Tominator.

In 1969, he and brother Johnny founded the Byrne Group, which has been involved in the construction of buildings such as the Olympic Stadium, the Emirates Stadium, Stamford Bridge and the new Centre and Number One Court at Wimbledon.

An enthusiast of all Irish sports, he was involved with top dogs like Cool Performance and Ballinderry Ash as well as enjoying major success on the coursing scene.

Tony McCoy tweeted: “Sad news about Patsy Byrne, a great man & friend, big loss 2 the racing and greyhound world”