William Hill Ayr Gold Cup Odds and Preview – Horse Racing Betting September 22

Mud-lover Muntadab looks drawn to go close in the Ayr Gold Cup

Horse Racing Betting

Ayr Gold Cup History and Trends

The Ayr Gold Cup has an illustrious history having been first staged in 1804. Now the richest sprint handicap in Europe, it began life as two heats and a final over two miles to decide the winner. The field is limited to 25 by modern safety standards but the next 25 in the weights can contest the Silver Cup on the same day with another 25 put into the Bronze Cup, run a day earlier. Punters study both races for clues about the going and draw.

  • No horse drawn higher than 22 has won since 1997. Stall eight has fared particularly well in the last 13 years, providing the winner on four occasions including in 2016, though stall 19 has produced the winner in two of the last four years.
  • The age range of winners is largely inconclusive, though there has been no winner aged older than six since 1993 and only two three-year-olds have been successful in the last 23 years.
  • With four of the last 10 winners, Kevin Ryan is easily the most successful trainer of modern times and runs three this year. North Yorkshire neighbour Tim Easterby also saddles a trio while Richard Fahey is responsible for four of the 25 runners as he bids for a third success in the 6f handicap.

Recent Winners of the Ayr Gold Cup

YEAR HORSE AGE WGT FORM TRAINER JOCKEY RUNNERS OR SP
2016 Brando 4 9-10 122129 K A Ryan T Eaves 23 110 11/1
2015 Don’t Touch 3 9-1 1111 R A Fahey T Hamilton 25 102 6/1
2014 Louis The Pious 6 9-4 201707 D O’Meara J Doyle 27 104 10/1
2013 Highland Colori 5 9-4 010631 A M Balding O Murphy 26 99 20/1
2012 Captain Ramius 6 9-0 41-7834 K A Ryan P J Smullen 26 100 16/1
2011 Our Jonathan 4 9-6 128562 K A Ryan F Norton 26 105 11/1
2010 Redford 5 9-2 920093 D Nicholls L Dettori 26 97 14/1
2009 Jimmy Styles 5 9-2 433 C G Cox L Dettori 26 102 14/1
2008 Regal Parade 4 9-1 130 D Nicholls W A Carson 27 99 18/1
2007 Advanced 4 9-9 720 K A Ryan J P Spencer 28 109 20/1
2006 Fonthill Road 6 9-2 009 R A Fahey P Hanagan 23 97 16/1
2005 Presto Shinko 4 9-2 711 R Hannon S Sanders 27 98 12/1
2004 Funfair Wane 5 8-6 060 D Nicholls P Doe 24 90 33/1
2003 Quito 6 8-6 344 D W Chapman A Culhane 26 92 20/1
Rain put paid to last year’s William Hill Ayr Gold Cup and the going will be a very testing on Scotland’s west coast again this year in the aftermath of Storm Ali.
Son Of Rest has been all the rage for this handicap since his second to Havana Grey in the Group 1 Flying Five at the Curragh last week. He’s 10lb ‘well in’ in comparison to his revised handicap mark and will appreciate the drop back into a handicap. However, let’s introduce a note of caution. Fozzy Stack’s four-year-old has shown his best form over 5f and this race is always an end-to-end gallop so there isn’t much value in the best 11/2.
Growl never seems to be far away in races like this and was second in 2016. He’s now 2lb lower and Paul Hanagan refuses to give up on Richard Fahey’s first string so an each-way bet at the best 9/1 should produce a return.
Major Jumbo may prove the best of the Ryan runners with Finley Marsh taking off a valuable 5lb. Brilliantly consistent this year, he was only beaten a neck by Kimberella in a Listed race at Chester last month and is better off at the weights. The 20/1 with Betfred is tempting and Ice Age is another who should benefit from an apprentice’s allowance and he can be backed at 25/1 in places. Flying Pursuit (a general 12/1) is a real mud-lark who arrives in good form, though younger stablemate Staxton could also play a part if handling conditions.
MUNTADAB is a 16/1 chance with Coral and trainer Roger Fell is confident that the drop back in distance won’t faze his gelding. A winner on soft going at Musselburgh around this time last year, the six-year-old is very much at home on the surface and feasibly treated on his best form. A strong traveller, Tony Hamilton will need to produce him late but it’s not difficult to envisage him powering through toiling rivals in the closing stages from a draw in the favoured centre of the track.

William Hill Ayr Gold Cup Current Best Odds

Son Of Rest 11/2, Growl 9/1, Flying Pursuit 12/1, Gunmetal 14/1, Muntadab and Golden Apollo 16/1, Major Jumbo, Terentum Star, Get Knotted and George Bowen 20/1, Justanotherbottle 22/1,  Tommy Taylor, G Force, Ice Age and Kimberella 25/1, Perfect Pasture 28/1, Baron Bolt, Naadirr, Staxton and Tanasoq 33/1, Brian The Snail and Upstaging 40/1, Goring 50/1

(Odds correct at 5.45pm on September 20)