Richard Fahey: Western super mare

Richard Fahey has plenty of runners at Ayr’s Western Meeting and he has high hopes for Miss Van Gogh on Thursday.

We’ve a big team heading up to Ayr for the Western Meeting starting with Double Touch in the H&V Commissioning Services EBF Novice Stakes. He’s a horse who is progressing with racing having been very keen early in his career. He settled at Chester last time and if he does so again here he’ll run a big race.

The Hillhouse Quarry Supporting The Ayrshire Hospice Handicap is the worst race Miss Van Gogh has contested for some time. A mile on soft ground is where we want to be with her and while she has plenty of weight to carry, I’d expect her to run better than of late.

We also saddle Our Boy Jack. I was gutted when the handicapper put him up seven pounds for winning a claimer last time. I hope he was right to do so but I don’t think he was so it’s going to be very tough for him here off a mark of 82.

Novinophobia is drawn wider than I’d have ideally liked for division one of the Barclays Bank Supporting The Ayrshire Hospice Handicap. Seven furlongs with juice in the ground is ideal for him but he’ll need luck from out there.

We’re double handed in division two. Bahamian Bird has run well the last twice and is still improving mentally. That means she could go forward in performance terms too and we’ll have to see if that’s good enough here.

Balance is a bit of an enigma. She won a bad maiden on her only start last season and the handicapper didn’t really take any chances. She’s down to a mark of 70 now and is another who will be suited by conditions.

We’ve three in the British Stallion Studs Scottish Premier Series EBF Fillies’ …

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