Markhan's busy spell rewarded with a victory Markhan got his head in front on his third start in four days when running out a convincing winner of the Ayrshire Cancer Support Handicap at the Scottish venue. on Monday Fifth at Musselburgh on Friday and a close third at Ayr on Saturday, Gordon Elliott’s five-year-old made no mistake in this handicap over a mile. Overcoming a slow start, Markhan (5-1) led over a furlong out in the hands of Connor Beasley and went on to score by four lengths from Carnageo. Elliott’s other two runners on the card ran well in defeat. Clonard Abbey had to settle for third place behind Beechwood Ella (7-1) in the opening British Stallion Studs EBF Fillies’ Novice Stakes under Joe Fanning without ever looking likely to be successful. First Bombardment may have only been fourth in the Western House Hotel Handicap but looked an unlucky loser. The 7-2 favourite made Fanning’s job difficult when rearing coming out of the stalls and the found plenty of trouble at the business end of the five-furlong dash. Fanning could not extricate his mount until the race was all but over and passed the post fourth of the 16 runners, only about a length behind the 8-1 winner Eternalist. Elliott had declared Kuiper Belt for the concluding Book For The William Hill Ayr Gold Cup Handicap but the horse was withdrawn.
