Virgin Bet Ayr Gold Cup |
||
| Heritage Handicap, Ayr 15:40 £150,000 added, 3yo plus, 6f, Class 2  |
||
|
||
1 Bielsa 15/2
2 Great Ambassador 3/1F
3 Mr Wagyu 18/1
4 Motagally 33/1
24 ran NR: Chiefofchiefs Distances: 2¼l, ½l, 1l
Time: 1m 10.03s (slow by 0.73s)
Bielsa ploughs a lone furrow up the stands rail to win the @VirginBet Ayr Gold Cup Handicap by a distance for @StottKevin and @kevinryanracing 🏆@ayrracecoursepic.twitter.com/tugBiJfJEy https://t.co/UwHZmFnGBC via @RacingBetter
— RacingBetter (@RacingBetter) September 19, 2021
With the results of Friday’s Bronze Cup and the Silver Cup earlier on Saturday’s card suggesting a low draw was favourable over the sprint distance of six furlongs, it looked like Bielsa would have his work cut out drawn highest of all in stall 25.
As the stalls opened, the majority of the field split into two groups, with several horses racing on the far side of the track and another batch going down the middle.
The Kevin Ryan-trained Bielsa, however, ploughed a lone furrow against the stands’ side rail, which ultimately proved a masterstroke.
Great Ambassador careered clear of his rivals on the far side inside the final furlong, but Bielsa galloped straight and true and was two and a quarter lengths clear passing the post.
Ryan, winning the Ayr Gold Cup for a fifth time, told ITV Racing: “I spoke to Alistair Donald (racing manager for winning owners King Power Racing) this morning and said ‘we’re on the rail, it’s fresh ground, and he likes to go that way anyway’.
“It’s great to train a winner like this for King Power. They’ve been very patient with this horse and I’m chuffed really.
“He’s a very talented horse. It just hasn’t happened this year. Things go wrong and you get little niggles, but that’s what gets you an Ayr Gold Cup – they generally get there fresh and well.
“We’ve won four Ayr Gold Cups and you wonder if you’re going to win another one.
“They were all Group horses and this horse is a Group horse.”
Virgin Bet Ayr Gold Cup
£75,000 added, 3yo plus, 6f, Class 2
24 ran
Going: Good
POS. (DRAW) DIST HORSE AGE WGT TRAINER JOCKEY
1 (25) Bielsa 6 9-1 Kevin Ryan Kevin Stott 15/2
2 (1) 2¼ Great Ambassador 4 9-9 5ex Ed Walker Richard Kingscote 3/1F
3 (16) ½ Mr Wagyu 6 9-2 John Quinn Jason Hart 18/1
4 (15) 1 Motagally 5 9-1 Charles Hills Paul Hanagan 33/1
5 (20) 1½ Edraak 5 9-3 Michael Appleby Theodore Ladd 33/1
6 (4) nk Count D'Orsay 5 8-13 Tim Easterby David Allan 16/1
7 (2) nse Commanche Falls 4 9-8 Michael Dods Connor Beasley 13/2
8 (22) ½ Summerghand 7 10-1 5ex David O'Meara Sean Kirrane 25/1
9 (6) ½ Fivethousandtoone 3 9-3 Andrew Balding Graham Lee 14/1
10 (19) ½ Lahore 7 9-0 Phillip Makin Rowan Scott 80/1
11 (17) shd Pendleton 5 9-2 Michael Dods Clifford Lee 40/1
12 (10) ½ Volatile Analyst 4 9-1 Keith Dalgleish Callum Rodriguez 28/1
13 (8) ¾ Gulliver 7 9-6 David O'Meara Jason Watson 14/1
14 (9) dht Venturous 8 9-3 David Barron Gary Carroll 50/1
15 (14) ½ Snazzy Jazzy 6 9-4 Lawrence Mullaney Laura Pearson 40/1
16 (7) nse Lexington Dash 4 9-0 Richard Hannon Joe Fanning 66/1
17 (11) hd Popmaster 3 9-1 5ex Ed Walker Hollie Doyle 15/2
18 (3) ½ Hey Jonesy 6 9-1 Kevin Ryan Megan Nicholls 33/1
19 (12) ½ Brad The Brief 4 9-5 Tom Dascombe Pierre-Louis Jamin 50/1
20 (13) 1½ Mr Lupton 8 9-5 Richard Fahey Oisin McSweeney 33/1
21 (21) 1½ Ostilio 6 8-13 Paul Midgley Billy Garritty 14/1
22 (18) 1¼ Just Frank 3 9-1 5ex Les Eyre Paul Mulrennan 15/2
23 (24) 5 Above 4 9-1 Stuart Williams Daniel Muscutt 80/1
24 (23) ½ Sunday Sovereign 4 9-3 5ex Tim Easterby Tom Eaves 50/1
NR 13 (5) Chiefofchiefs 8 9-2 Charlie Fellowes NON RUNNER
