The far side and low numbers fared best in the Ayr Bronze Cup on Friday afternoon and Buffer Zone, the favourite for Saturday’s afternoon’s Gold Cup in stall 21, could be a drifter pre-race if the Silver Cup earlier on the card goes the same way.
There is plenty of pace on the stands’ side, however – Major Jumbo (20) should give them a good tow – and a big showing from the favourite cannot be ruled out.
But the time of his most recent win was nothing special and Arecibo (3.50), at around 12-1 from stall 17, makes more appeal. Danny Tudhope’s pick from David O’Meara’s four runners was less than a length behind Oxted in last weekend’s Portland Handicap at Doncaster and he has winning form over track and trip.
Newbury 1.45 Dakota Gold has stepped up to a new level this season at the age of five and his progress in four straight wins is backed up by the clock. A return to five furlongs holds no fears and a first win at Group level looks imminent.
Ayr 2.00 Hortzadar finished in mid-division in the Irish Cambridgeshire last time but he was in the mix until the closing stages. David O’Meara’s gelding is still on a workable mark judged on his recent winning form at Ripon and a price of around 12-1 looks too big.
Newbury 2.20 Desert Encounter is an obvious favourite with plenty of form at this level, but this small field with no obvious pace may not suit a horse that stays 14 furlongs. Pondus is the obvious alternative as he likes to be prominent, and has plenty of scope for improvement with only six races in the book so far.
Ayr 2.40 A full field of 25 for the Silver Cup but two runners – Lahore and the three-year-old Alkaraama – dominate the betting. The latter has more scope for progress on only his seventh start, but Lahore is also lightly-raced for a five-year-old and put up his best run yet for Philip Makin when second at Thirsk last time. At the likely odds, he is the narrow pick.
Newbury 2.55 Mystery Power was an impressive winner of the Superlative Stakes at Newmarket on his second start, but failed to back that up when beating only one opponent home in the Vintage Stakes. With hindsight, he was never going to beat Pinatubo but Pierre Lapin could prove to be another very strong opponent here. He registered a very strong time for a debutant at Haydock in May and is still entered for both the Middle Park and Dewhurst.
Ayr 3.15 Orlaith took a step up in class in her stride last time when beating Al Raya, a winner next time out, by three-quarters of a length and can make further progress here.
Newbury 3.30 Forest Of Dean is 5lb worse off with Johnny Drama having beaten him by one-and-a-half lengths at York last time. In theory, that gives Andrew Balding’s runner every chance of reversing the form but the bare numbers do not take account of the ease of Forest Of Dean’s success. He had plenty left at the line and his rise in the weights looks fairly modest in the circumstances.
Newbury 1.10 Cherokee Trail 1.45 Dakota Gold 2.20 Pondus 2.55 Pierre Lapin 3.30 Forest Of Dean 4.05 Raaeq 4.40 Fantastic Blue 5.15 Quarry Beach
Ayr 1.25 Tell Me All 2.00 Hortzadar 2.40 Lahore (nb) 3.15 Orlaith 3.50 Arecibo (nap) 4.25 Poet’s Dawn 4.55 Young Fire 5.30 Shamad
Chelmsford City 1.40 Lexington Rebel 2.15 Aquarius 2.50 Englishman 3.25 War Glory 4.00 Heritage 4.35 Wadacre Galoubet 5.05 Persuer 5.40 Rudy Lewis
Catterick 1.50 Sermon 2.25 Eton College 3.00 Trouble And Strife 3.35 Auckland Lodge 4.10 Jan De Heem 4.45 Mogsy 5.20 Seafaring Girl 5.50 The Big House
Newmarket 2.10 Wasaayef 2.45 Glenn Coco 3.20 Nazeef 3.55 Land Of Oz 4.30 Geranium 5.00 Stagehand 5.35 Lady Dancealot
Wolverhampton 5.25 Thornaby Princess 5.55 Bezzas Lad 6.20 Consequences 6.50 Image Of The Moon 7.20 Ariette Du Rue 7.50 Trumpet Man 8.20 Rubensian