Cedar Hill claims first win for over a year for Borders racehorse trainer Sandy Thomson

The nine-year-old brown gelding edged out Golden Taipan, trained by Fergal O’Brien in Gloucestershire and with Liam Harrison riding, by half a length to claim the 3.35pm Bet365 Handicap Chase’s £7,922 top prize.

Thomson’s son-in-law Ryan Mania was in the 13/2 chance’s saddle for that victory over two miles and four furlongs, his first win since one at Musselburgh in February 2022 and seventh overall, six of them for his current trainer’s Lambden stables near Kelso, though he’s managed one second-placed finish in the meantime, at his home-town track in May.

“What a clever and determined little horse Cedar is to win at Perth,” tweeted Thomson afterwards. “I’m delighted with him.”

Cedar Hill was one of only four horses to complete that race, the last of them being 11/5 favourite Hidden Commander, trained by Stuart Coltherd and ridden by Danny McMenamin, one of two fourth-place finishes for the Selkirk handler on the day, the other being for Scipion, with Gavin Sheehan riding, in the 4.05pm Bet365 Sam Morshead Perth Gold Cup Handicap Chase.

Thomson’s winner was one of four horses he took to Perth, all the others being ridden by Mania too.

Franz Josef was fifth in the opening 1.50pm Bet365 Novices’ Hurdle, Kilbrainy finished fourth in the 2.25pm Coretrax Handicap Hurdle and the Ferry Master – a winner at Kelso at the end of May – pulled up in the 3pm Bet Boost at Bet365 Handicap Chase.

Thomson was one of two Borders winners at Perth, the other being Hawick’s Ewan Whillans with 14/1 shot Cracking Rhapsody in the concluding 5.05pm Bet365 Open National Hunt Flat Race.

Henry Brooke was in the four-year-old bay gelding’s saddle to guide him home a length and a quarter in front of Faux Fur, trained by Gordon Elliott in County Meath and ridden by Sean Bowen, to take that two-mile race’s £2,723 top prize, with McMenamin on Breizh River for Spittal-on-Rule’s Paul Robson following in third place.

That marked Cracking Rhapsody’s first win in only his second race, his prior outing having been a sixth-placed finish at Kelso in April.

A further win for Whillans followed at Ayr’s 6.25pm Join Racing TV Now Handicap on Tuesday with 7/2 second favourite Billy Bathgate, ridden by Andrew Mullen, to take that one-mile-five-furlong race’s £3,664 top prize.

That was the seven-year-old chestnut gelding’s first win ever, though he finished runner-up twice earlier this year, at Newcastle in February and Southwell in March, and twice last year, at Hamilton and Wolverhampton.