'That's racing!' - Jim Goldie twice denied £100,000 Sky Bet Sunday Series bonus in the space of 30 minutes

Jim Goldie was cruelly denied a £100,000 bonus in back-to-back races after both Letsbefrank and American Affair were beaten by the narrowest of margins in the 2m and 5f handicaps.

Letsbefrank hit the front with a furlong and a half to go but came out second best in a battle to the line with Arrange and was beaten just a neck under Paul Mulrennan.

Mulrennan was again in the saddle 30 minutes later aboard American Affair, who got going too late and was beaten the same distance as his stablemate behind Jer Batt.

Goldie's two runners needed just one more win on the Sky Bet Sunday Series to land the huge incentive and will head to Pontefract for another go at the bonus.

The trainer told ITV racing: "That's racing! As long as you run well and you can bring a horse home safely then you can go again, that's the great thing about it."

It was the second time in less than a month that Letsbefrank had gone down by a narrow margin and, speaking before American Affair's run, owner Stuart Morrison said: "Paul said he's still a shell of a horse – the next two years he'll be a lot better.

"We'll just have to wait and hope, and see if American [Affair] doesn't win, then well be off to Pontefract in two weeks' time – you've got to look at the positive side.

"He's been brilliant. He wasn't a cheap buy, but he was pretty cheap and he's been incredible value. We've still won eight and a half thousand!"

Jim Goldie denied again as Jer Bett (near side) beats American Affair in the sprintCredit: John Grossick

First course win

Patrick Owens landed his first winner at Haydock when Leonardo Dax put his debut experience to good use in the 6f maiden.

Slowly away before finishing third in a novice at Windsor in June, the two-year-old jumped out of the stalls a lot better here and stayed on well to beat Zayer by a length.

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