Ayr Gold Cup

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British Racecourses review The Ayr Gold Cup, one one of the most valuable sprint handicaps of the season, held as you would imagine at the stunning Ayr racecourse.

The Ayr Gold Cup is a flat handicap horse race for thoroughbreds aged three and above. It is run every year in September at the Ayr racecourse over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres).

It regularly attracts runners from the Stewards’ Cup and Wokingham Handicap but has proved very tricky for punters with only 4 successful favourites in 40 years. Notable past winners include the superb Lochsong (1992), Coastal Bluff (1996), Continent (2001) and Donjuan Triumphant (2017).

Check out our guide to the race below and find out more about the race, its history, previous winners, latest odds and more.

Find out more about the Ayr Gold Cup:

Ayr Gold Cup

The Ayr Gold Cup Race – A Top Quality Sprint Handicap

Some key facts about the race:

  • The Ayr Gold Cup is over six furlongs and takes place in September.
  • The going is usually soft for the Western meeting at Ayr so the form of the summer’s big handicaps can sometimes be misleading.
  • A double-figure draw can be an advantage in this race – you should always look for horses with form in the soft for your Ayr Gold Cup bets.
  • Horses that stay six and a half or seven furlongs also have a good record in this event as it ran at such a fast pace.

Famous Previous Ayr Gold Cup Winners & The Race History

The Ayr Gold Cup was established in 1804 as a two-mile race restricted to Scottish-bred and trained horses. The race was cut to a mile in 1870 and reduced to six furlongs in 1908.

Roman Warrior carried a record weight of 10 stone to victory in 1975, trained locally by Nigel Angus. He remains the most recent Scottish-trained winner.

The most successful horse in the history of the race was Dazzle who won three consecutive races from 1889 to 1891.

Several horses have gone on to Group 1 success after winning the race.

Lochsong was a popular winner for Ian Balding in 1992 and was voted European Horse of the Year in 1993. She completed the hat-trick of Stewards’ Cup, Portland Handicap and Ayr Gold Cup.

Coastal Bluff was a heavily-backed 3-1 favourite when winning in 1996. He carried 9st 10lbs to victory and dead-heated for the Group 1 Nunthorpe Stakes at York the following season. Bahamian Pirate (2000) and Continent (2001) also enjoyed success in the highest grade later in their careers. They were both trained by the late David Nicholls who had his last Ayr Gold Cup victory with Redford in 2010.

There was a thrilling dead-heat in the 2018 race when the judge could not separate Baron Bolt and Son Of Rest.

Angel Alexander sprang a 28-1 surprise in 2019 but punters hit back in 2020 when Stewards’ Cup disappointment Nahaarr bounced back at Ayr. He started 3-1 favourite at Goodwood but finished only ninth. Punters more than recouped losses as his price was slashed from 8-1 overnight to start 7-2 favourite.

Key Ayr Gold Cup Trials

The Stewards’ Cup at Goodwood and the Portland Handicap at Doncaster often feature prominently in the form book for this race.

The Wokingham Handicap at Royal Ascot is another summer target for horses engaged in the race. Half of the recent winners had raced at either Doncaster, Goodwood or Haydock on their most recent outing.

The Ayr Silver Cup is ran the day before for those who don’t qualify for the race.

Ayr Gold Cup 2024 Tips

For racing tips on more races at Ayr, check out our tips guide.

Our impressive horse racing tippers provide great horse event tips for today for all Ayr racing events!

Ayr Gold Cup Previous Winners

Check out the previous winners below:

YearWinnerAgeJockeyTrainer
2019Angel Alexander3Richard KingscoteTom Dascombe
2020Nahaarr4Tom MarquandWilliam Haggas
2021Bielsa6Kevin StottKevin Ryan
2022Summerghand8Daniel TudhopeDavid O’Meara
2023Significantly5Joe FanningJulie Camacho

Ayr Gold Cup Previous Result

Check out this result from the Ayr Racecourse:

Favourites have a poor record in the race with just two outright winners and one dead-heat in the past nineteen years.

Don’t Touch returned 6-1 favourite in 2015, Nahaarr won as the 7-2 market leader in 2020 and Son Of Rest dead-heated as the 5-1 favourite in 2018. Nahaarr became only the fourth winning favourite since 1980.

Beyond that it has been a very difficult race for punters with plenty of long-priced winners.

Funfair Wane won at 16-1 and 33-1 in 2002 and 2004 respectively. Baron Bolt dead-heated at 28-1 in 2018 and Quito (2003), Advanced (2007) and Highland Colori (2013) were all 20-1.

The average SP of the winner over the past nineteen years is around 14-1.

Ayr Gold Cup Stats

  • Nearly all recent winners had raced within the previous month.
  • Almost three-quarters had been beaten in their most recent outing, although a similar percentage had been placed.
  • Most were established sprinters with three or more previous victories over six furlongs.
  • Around half of them had form at Ayr and had already raced seven or more times during the current season.
  • Four and five-year-olds have the best recent record in the race.
  • Don’t Touch (2015) and Angel Alexander (2019) were the only recent three-year-olds to win here while Hard To Figure (1993) is the oldest winner in modern times at the age of seven.

Top Trainers and Jockeys of The Ayr Gold Cup

Tom Dawson had an incredible record in this race with 15 winners between 1835 and 1869. These included four dual winners in Inheritor (1835, 1838), Despot (1836, 1837), The Shadow (1843, 1844), and Inheritress (1845, 1846).

The late David Nicholls won this race six times, including for three successive seasons from 2000 to 2002 with Bahamian Pirate, Continent and Funfair Wane.

Kevin Ryan has been the most successful trainer in recent years with four winners; Advanced (2007), Our Jonathan (2011), Captain Ramius (2012) and Brando (2016).

Richard Fahey won the race with Fonthill Road (2006) and Don’t Touch (2015).

Frankie Dettori won the race for two consecutive seasons aboard Jimmy Styles (2009) and Redford (2010).

The record for winning jockeys in the race is four which is shared by Tom Nicholson and William Noble from the early nineteenth century.

Popular Questions

How Can I Watch The Ayr Gold Cup Race?

The best places to watch the Ayr Gold Cup Race are:

As the Ayr Gold Cup Race is broadcasted on ITV the ITV Racing bet365 free bet promo is going to be many of the horse racing punters’ number 1 betting offer for existing users.

If you are abroad and watching the race take a look at our guide on where to watch the horse racing.

With ITV Racing featuring the Ayr Gold Cup races, the Ayr Gold Cup Race will be watched by plenty of people on live television.

What Are the Important Facts About Ayr Gold Cup Race?

Here are interesting facts about The Ayr Gold Cup Race:

The Ayr Gold Cup is run at Ayr Racecourse, England
The Ayr Gold Cup prize money is £75,000
The Ayr Gold Cup is for horses aged 3 and above
The Ayr Gold Cup is a flat handicap horse race in Great Britain
The Ayr Gold Cup distance is 6 furlongs long
The Ayr Gold Cup is held on the final day of the Ayr Gold Cup Festival
The Ayr Gold Cup is run on the same day as the Doonside Cup

Summary of the Ayr Gold Cup

The Ayr Gold Cup race is a fiercely competitive sprint handicap and one of the biggest races in Scotland. It is second only to the Scottish National at Ayr racecourse and equally difficult to predict.

The soft ground can make this a bit of a lottery, although punters have hit back in recent years with Don’t Touch, Son Of Rest and Nahaarr.

Looking to have a bet on the Ayr Gold Cup, check out some free betting promotions from the best UK bookmakers now.

2024 Ayr Gold Cup Festival Posts

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