The Scottish racecourse at Ayr stages a competitive eight-race card on Monday afternoon. With the ground dying out all of the time, the current soft going could well have the word good added by the time racing gets underway.
We will provide Horse Racing tips, previews and predictions for three of the races taking place, at 1.20pm, 3.05pm and 4.10pm.
Our Tip for the 1.20pm at Ayr:
Irish raider Gold Cup Bailly, following a promising third of 20 in a Punchestown maiden hurdle two weeks ago, is likely to prove a warm order to take this Class 4 contest for jockey Daryl Jacob.
The Turgeon gelding, a point-to-point winner in December, could never get competitive on his first run over hurdles however and may be worth opposing with the ex French-trained Flower Of Scotland.
The grey mare was well backed to win at the first time of asking for new handler Sandy Thomson at Carlisle last October. After making much of the running the mount of Ryan Mania was eventually pulled up but looked as though she would come on for the run.
Last of six in a Listed mares’ chase back at the Cumbrian track the following month, Flower Of Scotland is clearly better than she has shown in her first two runs since coming from France where she was placed on four occasions. In receipt of weight from most of her rivals, the six-year-old can prove the value bet against the Irish market leader.
Our Tip for the 3.05pm at Ayr:
Despite being a 10-year-old, the Nicky Richards-trained Reivers Lad has few miles on the clock with just five runs over hurdles and two over fences to date.
The Alflora gelding landed a hat-trick of victories over the smaller obstacles in 2017 before being pulled-up in a Grade 1 contest at that year’s Aintree’s Grand National meeting.
The mount of Ryan Day has obviously had his problems, as it was some 614 days later before he was seen on a racecourse again, on this occasion when making a winning chasing debut at Newcastle.
An even longer break followed (772 days) before Reivers Lad made his reappearance at Haydock last month. A well-backed 7/2 chance to win that extended two mile handicap chase, all appeared to be going well after taking up the running, only to fall 5 out.
Hopefully, the horse’s problems are now a thing of the past. And in what looks a very ordinary Class 3 race, the gelding can continue to progress over fences off what looks a lenient mark of 125.
Victory Echo, an easy winner at Newcastle in December, and the Donald Whillans-trained Dali Mail look the two main dangers.
Our Tip for the 4.10pm at Ayr:
Having his first run for over two years, and set to concede between 16lb and 19lb to his four rivals, the three-time winning hurdler Uncle Alastair is fancied to open his account over fences at the second time of asking.
The mount of champion jockey Brian Hughes has not seen a racecourse since finishing second on his chasing debut at Carlisle in November 2018.
The winner of that 2m 4f novice chase was a certain Kim Bailey-trained Vinndication who is now rated 160 following several high-class efforts.
As Uncle Alastair was only some two lengths behind that horse at Carlisle off level weights, it is easy to make a case for Nicky Richard’s charge being well handicapped, running off a mark of only 135.
The horse has gone well fresh in the past, so, despite the lengthy absence, is unlikely to need the run and is taken to outclass some pretty ordinary rivals.
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