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RacingBetter News |
| Wednesday 14th September 2022 | |
What to Know About the 2022 Ayr Gold Cup Meeting
Ayr Gold Cup Background
One of the most popular horse race events in the United Kingdom, the Ayr Gold Cup, is finally here.
The tournament is held annually in the month of September. It will once again be held at the historic Ayr Racecourse which is located in Ayr, Scotland. The Ayr Gold Cup, established in 1804, is among the oldest sporting events in the UK.
The thoroughbreds must be a minimum of three years of age to participate in the race. The Ayr Gold Cup offers a pot of £150,000, with the winner taking home £75,000. The racing surface is turf, and the race covers 1,207 metres in length.
The 2021 Ayr Gold Cup was won by Bielsa (then six years of age), whose jockey is Kevin Stott. Bielsa was the first thoroughbred who was over the age of five to win the Ayr Gold Cup since Louis the Pious in 2014 (jockey James Doyle).
Horse racing is one of the most popular sports to bet on through the many UK betting sites, including bet365, LeoVegas, 888Sport and BetUK.
Several of these sportsbooks are also giving away special sign-up bonuses to new customers that include £60 in free bets from BetUK when you wager £20, £10 in free play from LeoVegas when you bet £10 £50 from bet365 when you wager 150.
Following the Ayr Gold Cup Meeting, the Cambridgeshire Handicap race will be held from Sept. 22-24 at the Rowley Mile, located in the Newmarket Racecourse (in the town of Newmarket in Suffolk, England).
Ayr Gold Cup Schedule
The Ayr Gold Cup is a three-day event that will run from Thursday to Saturday.
Day one of the Ayr Gold Cup features the Kilkerran Cup. The opening race begins at 1:50 p.m. local time, with the last one set to take place at 5:15 p.m.
Day two of the Ayr Gold Cup will feature several different races, including the EBF Stallions Harry Rosebery Stakes and the relatively new Arran Scottish Sprint EBF Fillies’ Stakes which debuted in 2017.
Saturday will mark the grand finale that is the 2022 Virgin Bet Ayr Gold Cup. The first race will commence at 1:20 p.m. local time, and the last one will go at 5:20 p.m. Aside from the Ayr Gold Cup, Saturday will also hold the Virgin Bet Ayr Silver Cup, the Virgin Bet Firth Of Clyde Stakes and the Listed Virgin Bet Doonside Cup. Live music and entertainment will also be held at the race throughout the three days.
2022 Ayr Gold Cup Favorites
Unsurprisingly, reigning champion Bielsa is among the top betting favorites to win the Gold Cup at multiple sports betting sportsbooks.
Five different thoroughbreds have emerged victorious in the Ayr Gold Cup under renowned trainer Kevin Ryan. He trained the 2021 winner in Bielsa as well as past Ayr Gold Cup champions Advanced (2007), Our Jonathan (2011), Captain Ramius (2012) and Brando (2016).
Another well-known and accomplished trainer, William Haggas, brings in another prime favorite to win this year’s Gold Cup. Khanjar, a three-year-old thoroughbred, also enters this week’s festivities with a good chance of winning it all.
The 2020 Ayr Gold Cup winner, Nahaarr, was trained by Haggas. Nahaar’s jockey was 24-year-old Tom Marquand, a three-time majors winner in the Great Britain races.
Summerghand, who turns nine years of age in March, is also viewed as a strong candidate to win this year’s tournament. Summerghand is trained by David O'Meara, who trained the aforementioned 2014 Ayr Gold Cup winner Louis the Pious.
That said, history simply isn’t on the side of Summerghand here. The last thoroughbred who was over the age of six to win the Ayr Gold Cup was Hard to Figure (jockey Ray Cochrane) in 1993.
And since 1994, only five horses who were over the age of six have won the event: Quito in 2003, Fonthill Road in 2006, Captain Ramius in 2012, Louis the Pious in 2014 and Bielsa last year.
Four-year-old Erosandpsyche, trained by Paddy Twomey, has four career wins in flat races to go along with two second-place and a pair of third-place finishes. So keep an eye on Erosandpsyche for this week’s highly-anticipated and wide open race.
