Narrowing The Field

3.50 Ayr The 2½-mile Old Roan Chase has only been around since 2004 but has already been won by such leading lights as Kauto Star, Frodon and race favourite Monet’s Garden. It can prove to be an important stepping stone to both the Cheltenham Festival and the Grand National meeting back here at Aintree in April and this, along with the small matter of £80,000 in prize money, makes this a huge race for trainers, jockeys and owners alike. Here’s…

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3.50 Ayr Now worth £200,000, the Ayr Gold Cup is as competitive as ever but we’ve managed to whittle this year’s renewal down to a magnificent seven:  Arecibo A model of consistency for David O’Meara this season, 4yo Arecibo has run close to the likes of Dakota Gold (Ebor meeting) and Oxted (Portland Handicap) and gets in here off the same mark of 98. Overall his better form is his most recent, leading us to think that he is improving…

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3.35 Ayr In recent years this has been a race for the outsider, so we make no apologies for leaving out some big names from our top six including Big River and Vintage Clouds having looked at all the known evidence. Form, weight, ratings and so many more things have been taken into consideration for this shortlist but despite the effort, the Scottish Grand National remains what it should be and that is frightfully competitive and tough to call. Whatever…

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RacecardThere is a prize of over £124,000 on offer to the winner of this race, not only Ayr’s biggest race of the Flat season but that of the whole of Scotland too. The soft underfoot conditions this year add a different dimension to the race, some horses being backed purely on their ability to handle cut in the ground during the week while a lot has been made of the draw too. Racecard Contenders This is a biggie, so we…

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After so very nearly scoring in the Grand National last weekend at 25/1 we go in again against the bookies with the Scottish equivalent at Ayr.  Six contenders are picked out for special attention and three labelled as worth backing. Here are the main protagonists as I see it for what is the fourth biggest betting race of the year in Britain, Ayr’s 4m½f showpiece: Beware The Bear A confirmed stayer who seems to go on more or less any…

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