Find all previous Seymour Biz racing previews in his weekly column: Saturday Horse Racing Tips.
We are off to the highlands of Scotland this week with Ayr staging their highlight of the year, the Ayr Gold Cup, along with a fine back-up card.
ITV Racing are covering five races from the course on the Firth Of Clyde, three handicaps plus a Group 3 and a Listed race, and all of those contests look to have plenty of runners.
The other meeting on offer is from Newbury, with a further four races, with two handicaps, a Group 2 and a Group 3 being covered. So, a full afternoon of racing with nine races being shown, lots of runners and plenty of excitement to look forward to. Here are my thoughts and this week’s Lucky Fifteen.
Saturday Lucky Fifteen
1.15 Ayr. Revich
2.25 Ayr. Summerghand
3.35 Ayr. Mostabshir
2.05 Newbury. Waxing Gibbous
Bet this lucky 15 now on Bet365
Beginning at Ayr with the 1.15, the LivescoreBet Daily Extra Places Handicap, a Class 2 race run over a mile. Top weight here is David O’Meara’s Mirsky, who after four wins in France, has failed to fire in the UK. His best run was last time out at York, where he ran second. That was last month, and a repeat of that run from last month would see him go close, but he has plenty of weight.
Iain Jardine’s Mr King won an apprentice handicap at Naas in June but finished last at Doncaster last week.
Ian Williams’s Yantarni won three on the spin in June but has flopped since being stepped up in class. He was beaten almost 10 lengths on his last outing at Windsor in a Class 3 last month.
Obelix won at Haydock a fortnight ago for trainer Julie Camacho, but that was a Class 4 contest, and this is much tougher.
Tim Easterby’s Austrian Theory makes some appeal off bottom weight but he has been disappointing this season.
I take a big chance with Richard Spencer’s Revich, who won this race last year. His form since then has been pretty poor, but his trainer has not dropped him in class and has had him aimed at this. He has 7lbs less than winning last year.
The 2.25 is the Virgin Bet Ayr Silver Cup, a Class 2 contest run over 6 furlongs, which is a consolation race for those horses that didn’t get into the Gold Cup.
Kevin Ryan’s Bergerac is one of the top weights, having won at Newcastle in June but being poorly drawn in Stall 2.
Craig Lidster’s Alfa Kellenic has to be fancied after his form this season, including over this course and distance in July. He is drawn well in Stall 22.
Donald McCain’s Paws For Thought has had a fine season to date, winning twice at Chester latterly just last week, but he’s drawn in the car park in Stall 1.
David O’Meara’s Summerghand won the Gold Cup in 2022 but is now relegated to this contest. He is a 10-year-old now, and his latest form is poor. However, he retains his ability and can take this from Stall 12.
The 3.35 is the main attraction the Virgin Bet Ayr Gold Cup Handicap a Class 2 run over 6 furlongs. The draw is pretty imperative here with the last two winners drawn in the centre of the stalls, prior to that high draws were favoured.
Top weight is Michael Dods’s stable star Commanche Falls, a past course and distance winner, who was 4th in a Listed race at Beverley last month. Prior to that, he was 3rd in a hot handicap at York, beating several he meets here. He is well drawn in Stall 12, but there are others that are better handicapped.
Karl Burke’s Korker has shown he is coming back to form after being placed on his last two runs, both at York, one a Listed race and one a hot Class2 handicap. He is drawn high in Stall 24.
Burke has a couple of other runners, one of which is Lethal Levi, who won at Newbury in August. He can go close from Stall 20.
Jim Goldie’s American Affair won the big handicap at Doncaster last week and has a 5lb penalty for that. He also has a poor draw in Stall 4.
Andrew Balding’s King’s Lynn has proved expensive to follow over the last couple of seasons, but he is showing good place form, including last week at Doncaster with a fine second, but he has a terrible draw here in Stall 1.
Kevin Ryan’s classy 3-year-old Sergeant Wilco has won four times this year, including a fine win at Goodwood in August, but he has a 5 lb penalty for that win drawn in Stall 9.
I like John and Thady Gosden’s Mostabshir, who has dropped down the weights this year despite two good 4th places recently. He is drawn on the wide outside in Stall 25 and looks just right for this.
At Newbury, the 2.05 is the Dubai Duty Free Autumn Cup Handicap, a Class 2 contest run over 1m 5 1/2f. Hughie Morrison’s Not So Sleepy is having his first run since the beginning of June when he ran in the Derby meeting and finished 4th. He had previously run 4th here at Newbury. He can go close here.
Edward Bethell’s Chillingham has been disappointing this season and was well beaten at York last month.
Lieber Power has been ultra consistent for trainer Andrew Balding’s this season, especially so when stepping up in class and finishing runner-up last month at York. He can go close once again.
Gary & Josh Moore’s Kotari won three times in April and May then was only a neck behind Not So Sleepy at Epsom in June. He has not been out since.
Dominic Davis’s Ithaca’s Arrow won at Chester last week after finishing runner-up at Goodwood the previous month, but this is a major step up in class for this gelding.
My preference is for David Menuisier’s Waxing Gibbous who won here at Newbury in May. Since then, he has finished runner-up twice, latterly at Haydock, beaten a neck in a Class 2 with the rest of a classy field almost 5 lengths behind. He can gain recompense here.
Saturday Lucky Fifteen
1.15 Ayr. Revich
2.25 Ayr. Summerghand
3.35 Ayr. Mostabshir
2.05 Newbury. Waxing Gibbous
Bet this lucky 15 now on Bet365
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