Deja vu for Borders jockey Greg Fairley as comeback continues

Riding the same horse for the same trainer at the same track – Superior Council, Carrutherstown’s Iain Jardine and Ayr respectively – the 37-year-old, Britain’s champion apprentice jockey in 2007, four years ahead of being banned for 12 years for taking part in a race-fixing scam, improved on an eighth-placed finish on the six-year-old bay gelding seven days earlier to make it past the post second in 3.10pm’s Watch Racing TV Free for 31 Days Handicap at 11-2.

Victory, by over six lengths, went to another Hawick rider, Rhys Elliott, on 6-4 favourite Novamay for County Durham trainer Michael Dods, earning a top prize of £4,187.

That was the three-year-old bay filly’s second win on the bounce and ever, her first having been at Ripon in North Yorkshire seven days prior, with Mason Paetel riding.

It was also Elliott’s second in the space of two days, following a first-placed finish on Stormy Pearl for David Thompson’s County Durham stables over five furlongs at South Lanarkshire’s Hamilton Park on Saturday.

Another Hawick jockey, Jason Hart, was among a field of seven contesting today’s six-furlong race, placing fifth at 5-1 on Ramon di Loria for his home-town’s Ewan Whillans yard.

Whillans fared better three races later in the 4.40pm Racing TV Handicap over a mile and two furlongs, winning with Sure and Stedfast at 7-1, ridden by Joanna Mason, also for prize money of £4,187.

Elliott was third in that race on Spioradalta at 10-3 for North Yorkshire trainer Mark Walford.

Whillans’ uncle Donald’s Hawick yard also fielded a winner at Ayr today, Naturalia at 9/2 in the concluding 5.10pm Every Race Live on Racing TV Apprentice Handicap, with their home-town’s Shay Farmer as jockey, that one-mile-five furlong race’s top prize being £4,187 too.

Elliott rode Cascade Hall to a fourth-placed finish in that finale for East Renfrewshire trainer Jim Goldie, with the younger Whillans’ Stand Strong, ridden by Ethan Tindall, crossing the line fifth and last.

Though out of luck today, Hart is already on six wins for July, starting on Emeralds Pride for Dods at Beverley in East Yorkshire on Friday the 4th and continuing with Luna a Inbhir Nis for Selkirk trainer Katie Scott at Merseyside’s Haydock Park the day after, Cape Ashizuri at Ayr for North Yorkshire handlers John and Sean Quinn and Darbucks for Lancashire’s Chris Kellett the day after that and Coconut Bay for Cumbria’s Tristan Davidson and Cosmic Soul for North Yorkshire’s Patrick Neville at Catterick last Wednesday.