Jim Goldie trains his horses at Uplawmoor some 25 miles north of Ayr Racecourse, home of the Western Meeting and the Ayr Gold Cup. So oversubscribed in terms of entries was this year’s edition of the 6f Heritage Handicap that, during penultimate declarations, over 100 runners couldn’t even get into the Silver or Bonze Cup consolation races.
A hip operation means Goldie will likely miss being on-course to see his two Ayr Gold Cup hopefuls. Trying to keep honours for a race first held 220 years ago local are American Affair and Jordan Electrics.
The former shot to the head of the ante-post market on horse racing betting sites following last weekend’s success in the Portland Handicap at Doncaster. American Affair, a four-year-old gelding by Washington DC, has a 7lb penalty and seven-day turnaround for his heroics.
Paul Mulrennan keeps the ride after having the pick of the Goldie pair, but a low draw may be an issue for this favourite. It’s the middle-to-high gates where most recent Ayr Gold Cup winners came from.
Jordan Electrics, meanwhile, is something of a course specialist at Goldie’s other local track, Hamilton Park. Although the joint-eldest in the line-up aged eight, the son of Dandy Man has simply been in the form of his life this season.
After five consecutive wins on the outskirts of Glasgow, Jordan Electrics also ran second in the Symphony Group Heritage Handicap during the Ebor Festival at York last month. Danny Tudhope takes the ride with Mulrennan on American Affair.
Both Goldie runners have obvious claims in the Ayr Gold Cup of 2024, based on how strongly they saw out other big-field cavalry charges over an extended 5f. Jordan Electrics may have the better draw in stall 17, though.
Fahey Runs Three with Ramazan Looking to Go One Better
Malton-based handler Richard Fahey is no stranger to success in this historic race with two previous wins. He has three contenders in this renewal, headed by last season’s runner-up Ramazan. Drawn two gates higher than 12 months ago in stall 14, the four-year-old Kodiac gelding is 5lb higher in the weights but second-favourite with some firms.
Oisin McSweeny takes the ride and 3lb off with his claim, partially offsetting that. Ramazan has filled the same spot of second three times since the Ayr Gold Cup at Redcar last autumn, but notably in a couple of big handicaps this term. He chased home The Wizard Of Eye in Ascot’s Victoria Cup during the spring and was again just denied in the Great St Wilfrid at Ripon last time out.
Constantine Handicap runner-up Strike Red runs off 2lb below the mark he won the Scurry Handicap off in Ireland last season. Other season highlights for Fahey’s six-year-old son of Dark Angel include a solid fifth in the Tokyo Trophy at Epsom and sixth in the Stewards’ Cup during Glorious Goodwood. Strike Red gets on well with Billy Garritty, but stall 6 may not help his cause.
Fahey also has Great St Wilfrid winner Dare To Hope among his Ayr Gold Cup runners. Up 6lb for his Ripon heroics here, the four-year-old Camacho gelding has a wide draw in stall 21 and Connor Murtagh in the saddle. Dare To Hope is worse off with Ramazan, because of the claimer on the latter.
Room Service & Sergeant Wilko Among Four Ayr Gold Cup Runners for Ryan
Five-rime race-winning trainer Kevin Ryan has best the record in this of modern times. Four make the trip from Sutton Bank to Scotland with three-year-old Kodi Bear colt Room Service the choice of stable jockey Tom Eaves.
Only three horses from the younger generation are Ayr Gold Cup winners in the last 30 days. Older sprinters tend to do better, but Room Service has clearly been saved for this ever since his Pontefract win. He’s only had two runs in handicaps and seven career starts, so looks relatively unexposed and has a high draw from stall 22.
King Power Racing are no strangers to success here either with Bielsa triumphing in their silks for Ryan three years ago. The same connections combine with Sergeant Wilko, an improving sprinter who seeks a four-timer.
This four-year-old Bungle Inthejungle colt made all when following-up on Leicester success at Newmarket and then completing his hat-trick at Goodwood. Up a further 5lb, Sergeant Wilko may find stall 9 just about workable as the start of the middle third of the gates.
Drawn lower for Ryan are York winner Aleezdancer (stall 7), who was 12th in the Ayr Gold Cup of 2023 and has had the summer off, and another three-year-old Jehangeer (stall 2). The best betting sites clearly prefer Room Service and Sergeant Wilko from the stable quartet.
Ascot Specialist Rohaan Much Lower in Weights
Beaten by less than a couple of lengths in seventh 12 months ago was Rohaan. David Evans’ six-year-old Mayson gelding has dropped in the handicap a lot since then. Rohaan ran off 104 in 2023 here, yet now lines up in stall 8 off an 8lb lower mark.
The trouble with this horse is he always saves his best runs for Ascot. Eagle-eyed form studiers of the handicap will point to a 13lb swing (effectively 10lb because of the jockey booking) with Ramazan, however, that should give Rohaan claims.
Also prominent in the betting is Billyjoh for the Mick Appleby team. Although the four-year-old, also by Mayson, has been on the go for a long while, he’s gone close in other sprint handicaps. These include when an unlucky third in the Stewards’ Cup.
Billyjoh found draw bias against him when drawn on the far side at Goodwood. Stall 18 should be just fine in the Ayr Gold Cup for him, though. It’s also interesting that dual Newbury winner Lethal Levi runs here as one of three for Karl Burke and not down in Berkshire.
The five-year-old Lethal force gelding is up 4lb for his latest success and has a high draw (stall 20). Also representing Burke are tricky to catch right pair Korker (stall 24) and Silky Wilkie (stall 19). The former has Jason Hart in the saddle, while 7lb claimer Sam Feilden rides the latter.
Three Last Time Out Winners in Dods Quarter for Ayr Gold Cup 2024
County Durham trainer Michael Dods has gone close to victory here in recent seasons with a couple of horses making the frame. Like Ryan, he runs four in a bid to break his duck. The versatile Northern Express tries his luck at Ayr once again after finding trouble in-running before.
Now a six-year-old, this Zoffany gelding ran second in two mile handicaps at York before International Stakes success in the 7f Ascot Heritage Handicap. Northern Express coming from the back means he’s a hostage to fortune, even from stall 23.
Glenfinnan (stall 11) has a 5lb penalty for his 7f Sandown win last month, and dropping back in trip to the Ayr Gold Cup distance isn’t immediately obvious as the logical move based on how he shaped last time out. Also representing Dods is the joint-bottom weight Tinto.
A dual Thirsk winner this season, the eight-year-old son of Compton Place needed a penalty to sneak into the final field of 25 but has stall 5 to contend with under 7lb claimer Rhys Eliot. Completing the stable’s quartet is topweight Commanche Falls, who is 2lb lower than when second here in 2022.
The seven-year-old by Lethal Force was just behind Strike Red in the Constantine Handicap and just couldn’t go the pace of the Beverley Bullet down at the minimum trip. Commanche Falls is drawn right in the middle in stall 12 this time.
Splitting Billyjoh and Strike Red in the Stewards’ Cup was Mostabshir. Trained by John & Thady Gosden for Shadwell Estates, a strongly-run 6f like the Ayr Gold Cup could be just what the four-year-old Dark Angel gelding needs from stall 15.
It’s a wide-open edition of the race where many will fancy their chances of landing the almost £93,000 first prize. Place money goes down to sixth.
