Success at double for Borders racehorse trainer Katie Scott

Lindean racehorse trainer Katie Scott with recent winners Gweedore, left, and Colinton (Photo: Bill McBurnie)

Borders racehorse trainer Katie Scott has cause for celebration at the double after following up her biggest win to date with another first-place finish just days later.

The first half of that winning double came at Musselburgh on Saturday as Gweedore, ridden by Irish jockey Andrew Breslin, claimed a £15,462 top prize, as reported in this week’s Southern.

That win, in the 2.04pm Betway Musselburgh Silver Arrow Handicap over seven furlongs, was the seventh of the five-year-old bay gelding’s career and his fourth at the East Lothian course, the other three having been at Ayr.

It was also the fifth time that Gweedore, owned by North Lanarkshire’s Lamont Racing syndicate, had won with Breslin in the saddle, as well as being his first race of 2022, his last prior to that having been at Nottingham back in October.

Lindean racehorse trainer Katie Scott with Colinton, a winner at Catterick last week (Photo: Bill McBurnie)

Sent off at 10-1, Gweedore beat Northern Express, trained in County Durham by Michael Dods and ridden by Paul Mulrennan, by half a length.

Scott, based at Lindean, near Selkirk, was delighted by that success, her biggest win in her seven years as a trainer, and the 34-year-old was given further cause for celebration at Catterick in North Yorkshire on Wednesday as Hawick jockey Jason Hart rode another of her horses, 9-2 shot Colinton, to victory by a length and a half in the 2.50pm Download the Vicker.Bet App Handicap, taking its top prize of just short of £4,000.

That was the four-year-old bay gelding’s third win in four races since arriving at Scott’s yard, the other two being at Newcastle in February and March, both with Hart in the saddle.

“It’s been a good week,” said Scott, formerly a member of now-retired Hawick trainer Alistair Whillans’ team.

Gweedore galloping to victory at Musselburgh at the weekend, with Andrew Breslin in the saddle (Photo: Hands and Heels Photography)

“Colinton came to us in autumn time and he’s been superb since.

“We gave him a little holiday and got him fit and he’s won three out of four for us, two on all-weather and the one this week on grass.

“Gweedore’s been absolutely super for us as well.

“We’re really lucky his owners have been patient, and that’s been key to his success, just giving him time and bringing him on slowly, and he’s rewarding them now.

“That was the biggest winner we’ve had to date and it was fabulous to do it in front of a Scottish crowd.”