Two more wins for Borders jockey Ryan Mania at Ayr after hat-trick on Sunday

Both the Galashiels-born 33-year-old’s winners in South Ayrshire are trained at his father-in-law Sandy Thomson’s Lambden stables, near Kelso.

Donna’s Double, a seven-year-old bay gelding sent off at 10/3, was one of only three out of six runners to finish the two-mile-and-four-furlong Karaoke at the Golf Inn Novices’ Handicap Chase at 2.15pm, crossing the line over three lengths ahead of High Moon, trained by Rebecca Menzies in County Durham and ridden by Nathan Moscrop, to claim its £4,753 top prize.

Mania’s next ride, half an hour later was the Gold Inn Prestwick Handicap Hurdle and 6/5 favourite Storm Nelson beat three other runners to win that three-mile race’s £10,562 top prize, finishing six lengths clear of Wakool, trained in Fife by Nick Alexander and with Conor O’Farrell as jockey.

That was the ten-year-old bay gelding’s second win on the bounce, the last, also with Mania in the saddle, having been in Carlisle at the end of November.

Monday’s victories were Mania’s seventh and eighth successful completed rides in a row and he said: “The stable has been in great form and it has been down to terrific teamwork from everyone back home.

“Donna’s Double has really been helped by wind surgery and Sandy had had this race in mind for Storm Nelson for some time. He’s a horse that stays really strongly.”

Mania and Thomson weren’t the only Borderers to come up trumps at Ayr, with Hawick jockey Craig Nichol guiding 9/2 second favourite So Many Roads, a six-year-old bay gelding trained in his home-town by Donald Whillans, to success in the 1.15pm Mills Milk Handicap Hurdle to take its £4,225 top prize.