TV TIPS (SATURDAY)

15:50 Ayr – Ayr Gold Cup

This illustrious race has a history that stretches back throughout the decades of racing in Scotland.

Although there’s a group race earlier on the card the Ayr Gold Cup is by far the showpiece race of the day and takes president above the rest. The prestigious six furlong handicap sees its usual cavalry charge with a total of 24 runners set to lineup and this years renewal seems no easier to decipher than any that have gone before.

The talking horse around the race all week has been the Irish trained Son Of Rest. The four year old flies over to Britain for the first time and looks to have a stand out claim after a very impressive second placed finish in a Group 1 last week. That form looks by far the best that any of today’s field has shown but without a victory in his last nine outings, from a punting point of view, it becomes tricky to back a horse at such short odds despite such a positive claim to success.

The trainer of the moment has to be Ian Williams who’s firing in winners left, right and centre. With 32% of his horses claiming victory in the past two weeks his sole runner Aces has to be monitored very closely. Victories in his native France back in 2016 showed on two occasions that the six year old was more than capable of handling such underfoot conditions. With just two runs over heavy ground producing two victories he seems to tick a few boxes however this race looks much more competitive than those he’s tackled before and as such our selection lies elsewhere.

Another trainer that’s got his yard in fine fettle is Yorkshire based Irishman Kevin Ryan. He sends a quartet of entries who all have very viable chances of which Teruntum Star and Tommy Taylor catch the eye. Teruntum Star may have finished stone last at York previously but don’t let that persuade you too much. Prior to that outing he finished in the top 7 of two large runner handicaps and that’s not to be sniffed at. Creeping down the weights slowly this term he now resides on a handicap mark just one pound higher than he won at York back in October 2017. A return to form that sees him put his last run behind him is far from out of the question however it’s stable companion Tommy Taylor that looks most appealing.

After yesterday’s Bronze Cup it showed that there’s a definite advantage to horses drawn in high number stalls and being allocated number 19 is certainly going to help Tommy Taylor’s cause. A third in his last run showed a much needed return to form add to that a victory on softer ground previously indicates a desire for underfoot conditions. There’s undoubtedly a few questions that he still has to answer but at a big price he certainly fits the bill for a potential Ayr Gold Cup winner.

TOMMY TAYLOR (E/W)

ITV Races:

13:45 Newbury – My Lord And Master (WIN) – NAP

14:00 Ayr – Chatez (E/W)

14:20 Newbury – Extra Elusive (WIN)

14:40 Ayr – Dakota Gold (E/W)

14:55 Newbury – Kessaar (WIN)

15:15 Ayr – Kodyanna (E/W) & Second Generation (E/W)

15:30 Newbury – Equilateral (E/W)