We are approaching another weekend in the racing world where much of the spotlight falls on Scotland when some cracking action takes place up at Ayr starting on Friday where there is a decent looking card.
There are plenty of other meetings taking place across the UK and Ireland on what is a very busy Friday but having looked through all of the cards, our betting interest over the course of the day comes in the big race at Ayr.
3.55 Ayr
Preview
The big race of the day is the first of 3 massive sprint handicaps in Scotland this weekend, the Ayr Bronze Cup. It’s for those horses who didn’t make the cut in either the big one, the Ayr Gold Cup or the consolation race, the Ayr Silver Cup. Unsurprisingly, we have a maximum field of 25 spread all the way across the 6 furlong track & it may pay to follow the pace which looks mainly middle to high. The favourite is Jim Goldie’s Call Me Ginger, his yard bidding to follow up a good few days at Doncaster a week ago. Hard to win with & a bit short in betting for me, a comment I attribute to Flying Pursuit as well although he did run 5th in the Silver Cup last year off a 5lb higher mark. In such a big field, I’m taking 2 at decent prices.
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Betting
John Kirkup, exiting from stall 14, is our first selection. The biggest concern is the ground as he likes it soft but despite the sun being out, the going is still quoted as good to soft (soft in places) & that should be fine. He likes the track having won 2 & finished 2nd once in his last 3 starts here, his last win being 2 starts ago off just 3lbs lower. 3 starts ago here, he was 2nd & had the 2 favourites (Call Me Ginger & Flying Pursuit) in behind so there’s no obvious reason why the tables will be turned. That said, he was only 6th at Ripon last time out & 2 more of today’s rivals were in front of him but he had excuses & should be better back at this track. The reapplication of blinkers may eke out improvement, given the last time he reached for them, he won a handicap here by 5 lengths. A horse with the look of having been laid out for the race, if the ground doesn’t firm up, he’s sure to be bang there.
From a high draw in 23, I cannot ignore the chances of Highly Sprung, especially now Cieren Fallon has been given the ride. He was 2nd in this last year & is rated higher this year but has maintained his form since. After winning nicely at Newmarket back in June on reappearance (off just 1lb lower), he’s run a couple of very solid races at big prices since. He was 6th of 16 in the Stewards Cup Consolation at Goodwood & then 8th of 19 in the Great St Wilfrid at Ripon. This is most certainly easier than both of those races & he’s another that has been primed for today. Confidence is increased with the stable form too, his small yard having 3 winners, 2 2nds & 2 3rds from just 8 runners in the past 2 weeks. Add to that all but one of those races had fields of 10+, the form looks solid.
Tips
PLACED – Back John Kirkup (e/w) for a 0.75/10 stake at 12.00 Betfair Sportsbook BOG (⅕ odds 1-6)
Back Highly Sprung (e/w) for a 0.75/10 stake at 13.00 Betfair Sportsbook BOG (⅕ odds 1-6)
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