Spotlight On Saturday: Smart Musselburgh winners can go in the notebook

Whilst we had one of the quieter Saturdays on the calendar in terms of quality, there was still plenty of competitive handicap action and a few winners that are probably worth putting in the notebook.

The Class 2 Scottish Sprint Cup Handicap had a substantial prize pool and Scotsman Jim Goldie came out on top with American Affair. 

He was a cosy winner in the end and connections believe he’s a strong horse this year, so a step up in grade could soon be on the agenda. 

Trainer Jim Goldie said: "We probably have to go into Group races. There's the King Charles over five furlongs at Ascot, which would be okay. I don't think we'll go to Newmarket but he's a good horse and he's maturing."

The big race of the day was the £100,000 Queen’s Cup and Adrian Keatley’s Kihavah just did enough to hold off top weight Aimeric, who ran a cracker to finish second off a mark of 107, especially in such a competitive race.

Jockey PJ McDonald was delighted with his mount, and said: “Adrian told me to take my time, be brave, and this horse has got guts. It's a triumph to ride him because he's an absolute legend. I got absolutely no luck at Newcastle on Friday but I got a dream run up on the inside and this went perfect.”

Caspi Star could also be one to watch as there could be a sizable pot in him somewhere down the line. He improved from his debut to take the 1m4½f maiden by just shy of five lengths and was much too good for his rivals on the day.

Big Race Analysis

Musselburgh’s Queen’s Cup was probably the best race of the day and it went the way of Adrian Keatley’s Kihavah. Favourite Align The Stars had little chance of winning from the start, as he was very slowly away and his finishing effort was impacted as a result.

Charlie Johnston’s other runners La Pulga and Struth made the running between them but neither was able to land a telling blow. Runner-up Aimeric is probably the one to take out of the race, as it was a fine effort on seasonal debut off such a big weight.

The hard luck story of the race is course specialist Wise Eagle who was denied a run at a key stage but kept on well to finish fourth. He looks capable of winning more races in the future. 

Winner Kihavah is a useful dual-purpose performer but might find wins hard to come by off higher marks.

What’s Next?

Next Saturday we have Sandown’s bet365 Gold Cup meeting, which signals the end of the National Hunt season. As well as the bet365 Gold Cup itself, we also have the Grade 1 Celebration Chase and the Grade 2 Oaksey Chase. Dan Skelton and Willie Mullins will have their final chances to stake a claim for the trainers’ title.