The Ayr Gold Cup, one of my favourite races of the year. 20+ runners, over 6 furlongs and a handicap. Not only do I enjoy this race as a spectacle, but its also been kind to the ol' wallet in years gone by.
This race, along with 2 others, are my only targets today.
14.20 - Newbury
The Mill Reef Stakes today holds the return of the unbeaten Richard Hannon trained Shamshon, who will surely be at the top of most peoples lists, however, this is his first run over 6 furlongs and on ground softer than good, so for me, he's a tad to short. I will be siding with Hot Streak. This Kevin Ryan trained colt is back on turf, which is a huge plus and has form on soft. I may have my facts wrong here, but I do not think the Irish jockey has ever won in the UK, so I am hoping this changes today.
15-2 Best price.
15.15 - Ayr
A nice 2 year old big field here, so I expect it to be run at a true pace. Although my selection was behind the favourite Valonia on debut, she took time for the penny to drop, but when it did, she flew home. Coral Mist has since come out and improved with a pretty comfortable win at Haydock. I think there is more room for improvement here and she should go very close.
8-1 Best price.
15.50 - Ayr Gold Cup
26 runners at the moment, with only 1 withdrawal. That horse is Captain Ramius, last years winner, so pretty significant. I could go through plenty of horses here, but will be waffling on for hours, so lets only concentrate on my selection. My horse hits the weight and age trends, has a trainer who has a 25% strike rate at Ayr (albeit with only 12 runners) and has a very promising young jockey taking off a very welcome 5lbs. The horse in question is Highland Colori. He's only ever contested 1 run at Ayr and that saw him finishing 2nd in last years Silver Cup at this meeting. Most of his form is at 7 furlongs, but he's got nice form on soft, so 6 furlongs today should be no problem at all.
20-1 Best price.
Football Five Fold;
Liverpool, QPR, Blackburn, Dortmund & Celtic
Just under 10-1
Best of luck all,
Dudders
