Ayr Gold Cup: Orion's Bow worth a shot

It’s a good job there are Silver and Bronze consolation races for those not highly-rated enough to get into the Ayr Gold Cup. Even so, with over two hundred entries, that will still leave plenty of disappointed connections at the declaration stage, and, as things stand, only those weighted to carry nine stone (equating to a BHA mark of 100) or more are guaranteed a place among the twenty-five runners in the Gold Cup.

Clear favourite Growl is among those guaranteed a run and will be bidding to become a second successive market leader to oblige for his trainer Richard Fahey, successful with Don’t Touch a year ago and also with Fonthill Road in 2006. A winner at Nottingham and Windsor in June in what is his first season with Fahey, Growl has since finished a close fourth in two major handicaps, the Bunbury Cup at Newmarket and the Stewards’ Cup at Goodwood. He caught the eye at Goodwood, meeting trouble in the stand-side group (the action was mainly on the far side) before finishing best once in the clear. One of only two runners from the Stewards’ Cup not to have run since, he’s obviously been laid out for this, while a Group 1 entry in the Champions Sprint shows that connections reckon he’s a group horse in the making.

As might be expected in such a competitive field, Growl is just one of several who are potentially ahead of the handicapper and there are others worth considering at longer prices. Magnus Maximus is at the top of his form for first-season trainer Robyn Brisland, and while he has done most of his racing on the all-weather, he followed up a recent win at Chelmsford with an all-the-way success at Ascot earlier this month off an 8 lb higher mark. Another front-runner who comes here after winning his last two starts for Bryan Smart is Nameitwhatyoulike whose listed win at York last time followed a victory in another of the season’s big sprint handicaps, the Great St Wilfrid.

Intisaab was only a neck behind Nameitwhatyoulike at Ripon having won twice over Saturday’s course and distance in June. Clearly still in good form when runner-up in another competitive handicap at the Curragh last Saturday, Intisaab will need some defections higher up the weights if he’s to attempt to become trainer David O’Meara’s second Ayr Gold Cup winner after Louis The Pious two years ago.

Another who’s in top form at present is the Alan Swinbank-trained Final Venture who makes some appeal each-way at odds of 25/1 in places. Successful four times in handicaps this season over both five and six furlongs, he’s another confirmed front runner who lost out by a short head to Alpha Delphini in a valuable handicap at Ascot in July and ran well to finish a very close fourth to the same rival in the listed Beverley Bullet last time after stumbling at the start.

Mick Easterby’s former Stewards’ Cup winner Hoof It is getting on in years but he’s been in resurgent form during the summer for 5 lb claimer Nathan Evans, winning twice, including the consolation event for the Stewards’ Cup, and like Growl, he’s enjoyed a break since Goodwood.

Kevin Ryan trained three Ayr Gold Cup winners between 2007 and 2012 and has some interesting contenders again, headed by joint top-weight Brando. Much improved in handicaps earlier in the season (touched off in the Wokingham at Royal Ascot), he’s contested pattern races since over the minimum trip, winning a Group 3 contest at Sandown before coming up against the top-class mare Mecca’s Angel the last twice, chasing her home at the Curragh and showing up well for a long way when mid-division in the Nunthorpe.

Stable-companions Flaming Spear and Big Time (the latter not guaranteed to get in) have a very different profile having run mostly over further, but the lightly-raced and potentially well-treated Flaming Spear is one to keep an eye on in the betting, well backed for both his starts in the spring but not seen out since poorly drawn at York’s Dante meeting.

Big Time was trained prior to his latest start by David Nicholls whose Ayr Gold Cup record is second to none, boasting six wins between 2000 and 2010, and the stable has a couple of potential winners again. Kimberella has contested the Bronze and Silver Cups on this card in past years but is good enough to go for gold for this year, proving better than ever when winning the Sky Bet Dash at York in July from Intisaab.

But preference is for stable-companion Orion’s Bow who has made hay too this year and could still be on a good mark. It was no disgrace whatsoever for his five-race winning streak to be ended in the Stewards’ Cup at Goodwood in which he found only the highly progressive three-year-old filly Dancing Star too good. Turned out again a fortnight later as favourite for the Great St Wilfrid, Orion’s Bow could finish only eighth at Ripon, giving the impression that race came a bit too soon. A month’s break since then should have freshened him up, while the return to potentially easier underfoot conditions might suit him ideally too.

Ayr Gold Cup recommendation:

Back Orion's Bow at 14/1