Runners and betting From ATR website - trainer comments on the draw for Saturday's Gold Cup ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Ante-post favourite Watchable will race from the far side having been handed stall five in the William Hill Ayr Gold Cup on Saturday. David O'Meara's four-year-old, who burst into the reckoning for the big sprint handicap with victory at the Curragh last Sunday, was one of the later ones to be picked out of the hat at a special draw ceremony at the Scottish track. The Richard Fahey-trained Alben Star, generally second best in the market, will start from stall seven after being the penultimate name to be drawn. O'Meara's Highland Aclaim was the first horse out and given stall 18, with the stands side of the track proving popular. The Fahey team went for stalls 20 and 22 respectively for Ballesteros and Supplicant, who were the next horses out. Scottish trainer Jim Goldie plumped for stall four for last year's third and top-weight Jack Dexter, and 16 for Hawkeyethenoo. Ger Lyons' representative chose stall three for Burn The Boats, while the other Irish challenger An Saighdiur will be on the other side of the course in stall 23. Racy, trained by Brian Ellison, bagged the stands side rail draw in the maximum 27-runner field. Kevin Ryan is four-handed as he seeks to win the race for a fourth time. Captain Ramius, successful for the Hambleton trainer in 2012 when drawn eight, has got the same stall again. Hamza is also low in stall six, with York Glory and Blaine drawn high in gates 21 and 26 respectively. Ryan told Racing UK: "We opted to go high if we were coming out early and lucky enough we had a couple of horses that came out fairly early. "Blaine's in great form and is on an upward curve. He comes into the race on the back of a very good win. He'll love the fast ground. I thought York Glory would run very well in the Portland and then he disappointed us. He's struggling to find his form, but if he did come back to himself he'd be dangerously well handicapped. "Amy (Ryan, daughter), rides Blaine. She gets on great with him. She's won two good races on him this year so there's no reason why she shouldn't ride him. We opted to go high with two and we've got two drawn low, so we've covered both sides of the track." ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ I have never seen this before, but it appears that trainers were allowed to select the box number after their horse was drawn out. In which case, quite why Brian Ellison choose the presumably "favoured" draw, 1, for Racy I don't get. A hold up horse, he will surely be buried after the first furlong. I'd have been keen on Alben Star myself, but will decide if and what to punt on Saturday!
My two for the field 1) if it rains which it looks like won't then JACK DEXTER could be a good bet @ 16/1 3rd in this last yr and has the class to pick this field off - If there is no soft in the going then I shall be going for EASTERN IMPACT Tony Hamiltons pick of the Fahey runners and has done well against his own age group and is his 1st run against the older generation and although up 5lb looked to have some in hand when winning 2) IMO the most unexposed in the race MINALISA has won a listed event in July lto and likes the ground firm has got a grade 2 entry in the autumn so the stable must think well of him and this is his first run in this sort of big handicap race so could be anything @16/1 is a decent ew price
There are some other races for which the trainers get to choose their stall and I think most of them are big sprint handicaps. Trainers who have more than one entry may put them on opposite sides (if they can) unless they know that there is a draw bias. It is something that has only been done for the last couple of years. Getting to choose early may not always be advantageous as you could pick what looks a good stall and then find that all the pace horses are on the other side.
Blaine @ 14s for me. It would be truly marvellous to see the lovely Amy scoop a big prize given the awful last 12 months or so endured by her and her bloke. I also reckon her mount in the Silver Cup, Bogart, is not without a chance either. Unpenalised for a cracking run last week and no reason not to be competitive in this. Now that would be a red letter day in the Ryan household.
I was on Bogart lto at 33's and was in dreamland a furlong out. But that was as you say, a cracking run, and worthy of another punt with or without the Blaine double
Pace seems on the low side to me with Hamza (and Duke of Firenze if fired up like lto). To be honest it doesn't look like a complete burn up of a race, and I wouldn't be putting anyone off from backing Hamza now back down into a handicap.
Ayr doesn't look to have a handful of progressive sorts so JACK DEXTERS 33/1 Group1 form puts him right in the shakeup if running up to his best. Could do with more rain but should come rattling home.
You have to have a bet in these insoluble handicaps - them's the rules; consequently, I've lobbed a couple of darts at Louis The Pious and Ballesteros at 16s and 33s. And I'll have a bit on Watchable too, at 16s.
Shout with Louis Archers, i normally back that one but there was so many that fall into that category in that race so i went for one i've never backed in Hamza on the sole basis of Pat Smullen being aboard and missed out
