SOME of the best racing action this week focuses in on the west coast of Scotland, where Ayr hosts its three-day Western Meeting, highlighted by Saturday’s Ayr Gold Cup (3.35pm).
This six-furlong dash is usually one of the most hotly contested sprints of the season, with a full field of 25 runners fanning out across the track.
The draw can be a significant factor and it’s well worth watching the sprints from the first two days of the meeting as well as the Silver Cup on Saturday to get an indication of any track bias.
At this stage we don’t know the draws, another factor that makes ante-post punting a challenge, and we’ll just have to hope for a fair track come Saturday.
As usual in these sprint handicaps a case can be made for many towards the head of the market, including current favourite Ramazan as well as Stewards’ Cup fourth Mostabshir.
Albasheer is quirky but talented and will surely go close if lining up here rather than at Newbury, while locally trained Jim Goldie runner American Affair arrives in flying form.
The one I’ll be siding with, though, is ROHAAN, who is too well-handicapped to ignore and really caught the eye last time out at Ascot.
David Evan’s six-year-old shot to fame when landing the 2021 Wokingham at Royal Ascot as well as two Group races that same season, a fantastic story for a horse that had started that year running on the all-weather at Lingfield.
More Group race success and another Wokingham win the following season sealed Rohaan’s reputation as a horse with a real cult following.
Disappointingly though he has only managed one win in 18 starts since the 2022 season, that coming at the back end of last year, where he defeated the talented English Oak at Ascot.
That came following a seventh-place finish in last year’s Ayr Gold Cup – beaten just over a length – and off a mark of 102.
Now running off 96, he returned to form last time out at Ascot, finishing with a late rattle to grab third despite a lack of pace during the race which didn’t suit.
This is definitely his time of year, and while he may prefer the ground a little softer than it’s likely to be at Ayr, he looks a decent each-way bet at 12/1 to return to former glories.
Ralph Beckett has been in superb form recently and his only entry at Ayr on Saturday is MACDUFF in the Listed Doonside Cup (1.50pm).
There is a risk at this stage that he might not make the trip up to Scotland, but at his odds of 12/1 it might be worth chancing that he does line up.
This Juddmonte-owned colt has some strong form to his name this season, including when finishing second behind Arabian Crown in the Classic Trial at Sandown on his reappearance.
Epsom didn’t seem to suit him as he finished well beaten in the Derby, but a good sixth last time out in the King Edward VII Stakes behind Calandagan was a return to form.
He’s been gelded since then and this drop back in trip and class look sure to suit.
As a colt that has always been held in high regard, he must have strong claims if allowed to take his chance.
POINTERS SATURDAY
Macduff e/w 1.50pm Ayr
Rohaan e/w 3.35pm Ayr