A first for Smullen

Sunday 23 September 2012

SOME thought high and some thought low but with the 26 runners stretched right across the track, it was Captain Ramius, powering up the centre, that supplied multiple Irish champion Pat Smullen with a memorable first triumph in the William Hill Ayr Gold Cup

Pat Smullen crosses the line on Captain Ramius to take the Ayr Gold Cup Photograph: Lenny Warren/PA

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Gordon Brown

The well-backed 16/1 chance, who blasted from stall eight and ploughed through the testing conditions to beat 2008 hero Regal Parade by two and a half lengths and supply trainer Kevin Ryan with his third strike in Scotland's £120,000 Flat season feature.

Heavily-supported favourite and top-weight Maarek was a gallant third as he tried to give Ireland a long-awaited first win while Sholaan faded into fourth after making a lot of the running for Kelly HarrisonSmullen, currently lying second to Joseph O'Brien in the table, said: "I'd never been to Ayr before and my first ride was Hamza, who was sixth in the Silver Cup. It's great to win a historic race like the Ayr Gold Cup. "I was only booked for the ride in midweek but I knew they really fancied this fellow. All his six wins have come over seven-furlongs so we knew he'd stay on. The race was pretty straight-forward as he had the tactical speed to get a good position."He quickened up well from the furlong pole and soon put it to bed – coming past the line he's done it very easily. He's a decent horse, but most of all he handles those conditions very well."Ayr is an amazing racecourse and I'd say it's very fair. On the straight course you need early pace to get that good position and the ground wasn't that bad – remember I've been racing on dreadful ground back home all year and this was drying out and maybe a little bit gluey."Hambleton-based Ryan, who won the race last year and in 2007, said: "It was testing and very tacky ground and even soft ground horses don't go through it. But he's a tough horse even though he's a bit of a lad."After the Bunbury Cup in July I said to his owner Clodagh McStay 'let's train him for Ayr' and it's worked out well. I'm delighted for her and I'm also delighted for Pat who came over specially to ride him."We start thinking about this race in January and when it comes off it's great. I've a bit to go to beat David Nicholls' six winners, but we'll keep on trying."McStay, based in Kildare, added: "This horse was pinhooked as a yearling, but got injured and couldn't go to the sales. We end up keeping horses like him and he's absolutely gorgeous. It's also a welcome change of luck as we had a disastrous weekend last week for a variety of reasons." The 37-year wait for a Scottish winner of Europe's richest sprint handicap will last at least another 12 months, though, after Jim Goldie's Hawkeyethenoo came 13th, while Ian Semple-trained Cheviot, first out the drum at Thursday's draw, trailed in last of the 26 runners.However, there is a tenuous Scots link with this year's victor. Edinburgh-born Sean Connery played a certain Captain Marko Ramius in the 1990 film The Hunt For Red October, based on the novel by the author Tom Clancy. We may have seen a Gold Cup winner of the future in Jack Dexter, who fairly romped away with the William Hill Bronze Cup under Graham Lee – a man successful over the considerably longer trip of the Scottish National on Grey Abbey in 2004.Trainer Jim Goldie, also the owner/breeder of the three-year-old, said: "I was very hopeful if everything fell right, but in the end he was a class apart. I never thought he would win like that but his dad Orientor loved soft ground and so does he. The dream is to go for Gold next year but that's for later as I'll take in the moment on a big day like this."Mass Rally, not unfancied at 16/1, lost his maiden tag on turf at the 26th time of asking when nailing Highland Colori right on the line to take the William Hill Silver Cup by a short-head.And winning jockey Paul Mulrennan wasted no time in completing a quick double at combined odds of 75/1 when Melody Of Love took the Group Three Laundry Cottage Stud Firth of Clyde Stakes.But there was bad news for Mulrennan as he received a total of eight days in suspensions for using his whip more than the permitted level on each of his winners.

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A first for Smullen

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