As the flat racing season begins to wind down after a fantastic summer, attention is turning to the south of Scotland for the Ayr Gold Cup — one of the best handicap races of the year. The country’s richest flat racing festival concludes with some of the top jockeys and trainers from around the world competing for the top prize, with William Haggas’s Nahaarr winning last year behind closed doors.
Now spectators are back to the racecourse that added aura of anticipation is in the air, with a number of horses looking to defy the Betdaq horse racing tips to cause a major upset and based on some of the shock results we have seen so far this season, such as Emaraaty Ana’s shock win in the Sprint Cup, it wouldn’t be too much of a surprise to see something similar. With that in mind, here are some of our favourites to perform well, and others capable of stirring things up in this year’s Ayr Gold Cup.
Great Ambassador
Touted as potentially the next Starman by Ed Walker, four-year-old Great Ambassador heads to Ayr among the favourites to finish close to the top following a solid summer. After a narrow defeat in the Sprint Cup, Walker will be looking to get back to winning ways, with strong performances in York and Newmarket looking encouraging — also landing the feature Listed Biowavego Garrowby Stakes. Great Ambassador has made a great first impression with spectators and alongside Walker there is potential for him to enjoy a period of dominance in years to come, his seamless transition from handicap company stands him in good stead for a bright future. As for this weekend’s race, we think based on past performances he certainly has enough to pick up first place.
Royal Scimitar
Certainly, a horse capable of causing an upset, Clive Cox’s Royal Scimitar has the credentials to finish strong, especially considering the inconsistent conditions of the Ayr surface. The three-year-old was underwhelming at Ascot earlier in the month but looks more than capable at stakes level. He has coped with the step up in class well and it will be interesting to see how he performs.
Boosala
There will be a lot of questions asked of Boosala as he makes a return to flat racing for his first competition since December, and only his fourth race overall. Haggas is clearly a man with an eye for talent, having trained last year’s winner Nahaarr, but even the most sceptical among us would be fascinated by a horse who has had so few races two years on from their debut, although he does boast wins at the start of his career at Windsor and York.
Snazzy Jazzy
Perhaps a horse that has snuck under the radar somewhat this season, the form of Snazzy Jazzy over seven furlongs should certainly garner more attention. Despite a difficult draw at Wokingham, he carried on a strong surge of form with impressive performances. Since leaving Cox to be trained by Lawrence Mullaney, the six-year-old will be looking to turn some more heads in his direction as he comes to Ayrshire.
