American Affair sprints to Musselburgh glory

American Affair timed his late charge to perfection to land the Virgin Bet Daily Price Boosts Scottish Sprint Cup Handicap for Lanarkshire handler Jim Goldie and could now be aimed at Royal Ascot.

Paul Mulrennan gave the five-year-old a patient ride at the rear and always looked to be travelling strongly.

He had to bide his time waiting for a gap to appear, but once seeing daylight, American Affair found a smart turn of foot to surge past and strike by three-quarters of a length at 7-2.

The gelding scored three times last term, including a Portland triumph at Doncaster, and is clearly still on the upgrade.

Goldie told ITV: “He’s terrific. You never know whether they’ve improved but he’s got stronger and probably faster.

“The quandary is whether he’s a five-furlong horse or can he go over six, because most of the good sprints are over six, but it’s a nice problem to have.

“Obviously the King Charles, what was the King’s Stand, is only five furlongs at Ascot, which will probably be OK.

“I don’t know if he’ll be one for Newmarket as he didn’t particularly enjoy Hamilton going into the dip, so he likes running on flat tracks and can go up a hill at the finish.

“He certainly goes up the hill at home, so he’s a good horse and maturing.”

Regular pilot Mulrennan commented: “I had a good draw there and I just got a nice toe along. I just had to wait for a bit of room.

“He doesn’t do a lot in front but he’s got a good turn of foot. He took a good blow with me there as well, so I’d like to think he’ll improve a fair bit again.

“He feels like he’s got bigger and stronger from last year. He went up nearly 30lb last year but hopefully there will be a bit more improvement again. You can see he’s still not 100 per cent in his coat but he’s won quite nicely there in the end.

“He’s a proper sprinter, he’s got a good mind and he’s got a good turn of foot there and he can get you out of trouble, as he did in the Portland. Hopefully there will be a lot more good days to come with him this year.”