Alan Kelly Get fresh daily selections and a standout Nap of the Day from our in-house racing expert, Alan Kelly.
Looking to boost your bets? Discover the latest Royal Ascot betting offers from the UK's best betting sites.
For live TV action, head to our ITV Racing Tips hub for expert picks on the biggest races, and explore Ryan Moore booked rides for detailed insights on one of flat racing's most successful jockeys.
Latest Profit & Loss Figures
A slight profit of +£6.66 for the week ending Sunday 14th September, although winners were hard to come by at Doncaster’s four-day St Leger festival.
- P/L for the week ending Sunday 14th September +£6.66
- P/L for the year 2025 to date +£17.24
- P/L for the year 2024 +£200.42
- P/L since 1st September 2022 +£503.23
Alan Kelly's Tips - Thursday, September 18th
Ayr’s three-day Western meeting gets underway on Thursday afternoon, the ground at the Scottish track currently described as good to soft, soft in places but with the forecast of light rain on the opening day.
The second race on the card at 2:15pm is a 5f handicap with a field of 18 runners and should provide some clues regarding any significant draw advantage.
2:45pm Ayr - Crowd Quake (Nap)
Due to go up 5lb in the future, Stuart Williams’ CROWD QUAKE (Nap) failed by a head to land a hat-trick of victories when just denied by Roger Varian’s well-backed favourite Munsif at Doncaster last week, the pair well clear of the other 12 runners in what looked to be a seriously competitive mile and a half handicap.
The Night Of Thunder gelding opened his account off a mark of only 45 at Windsor back in May, after which came another 6 wins, five on turf and one on Southwell’s all-weather surface. Marco Ghiani’s mount is clearly in the form of his life at the moment and with today’s soft ground unlikely to inconvenience the four-year-old, this improving gelding can retain the winning thread in this 1m 2f Kilkerran Handicap.
David O’Meara’s Hornsea Bay, beaten less than two lengths when fifth at York recently, is the other one to consider.
Recommendation: Crowd Quake (Nap) - 9/2 with William Hill
4:15pm Ayr - Epidavros (Each-Way)
A beaten favourite at Doncaster on her most recent start last month after winning races on Town Moor and at Leicester, the handicapper may now have the measure of the David O’Meara-trained Coeur Jaune, one of the five three-year-olds competing for the Class 5 handicap. Tim Easterby’s bottom weight Perfidia may fare best of the classic generation, but I prefer to side with Katie Scott’s four-year-old Magna Grecia filly EPIDAVROS (Each-Way).
Kaiya Fraser’s mount is on a losing run of 11 now since winning races at Carlisle and Hamilton around this time last year, both victories coming on soft ground. Despite failing to trouble the judge in 2025, Epidavros has plenty of creditable efforts to her name, including a neck defeat over today’s course and distance last month with today’s rider in the saddle.
Sixth in a Class 3 handicap at York 11 days ago behind several unexposed three-year-olds from top stables, the selection held every chance until weakening close home over the 1m 1f trip. The mare will appreciate dropping back in both class and trip and has an excellent chance of opening her account for the year.
Recommendation: Epidavros (Each-Way) - 9/2 with bet365 (3 places)
5:20pm Ayr - Surrey Belle
The two three-year-olds in this 1m 5f stamina test, Simon & Ed Crisford’s Spinning Wheel, last seen finishing down the field in the Queen’s Vase at Royal Ascot, and William Haggas’s Golden Handshake, also disappointing last time when beating only one horse home in the Melrose Handicap at York’s Ebor meeting, head the betting for this finale on the first day of the Ayr Gold Cup meeting.
While both horses are lightly-raced and open to plenty of improvement, I prefer the chances of Adrian Paul Keatley’s SURREY BELLE, who, unlike the other two, is proven on soft, or even heavy ground. The daughter of Golden Horn stays much further than today’s trip of 1m 5f and will relish any further rain which falls on the course.
Running off a mark of just 78, Oisin McSweeny’s mount has won three of her 6 starts over hurdles in 2025, along with narrow defeats on both of her outings on the flat, the most recent when runner-up in the consolation Chester Cup back in May. The mare looks sure to run her race and can take advantage of the weight she receives from her two main rivals.
Recommendation: Surrey Belle - 11/4 with Midnite
* Betting odds correct at the time of publication. All odds are subject to changes.
Latest Horse Racing Tips, Stats & Trends
Check out more from the Freebets horse racing hub, including tips, stats, market movers and today’s racecards!
About Alan Kelly
A passionate follower of horse racing for over 50 years, Alan has enjoyed a 40-year career in the betting industry, 28 of which he spent running his betting shop as an owner/manager.
A successful punter with a keen eye for value, Alan has had many betting highlights, including a Scoop 6 win and has shown a consistent profit in the battle with bookmakers since joining Freebets.com in 2008.
You can follow Alan Kelly on Twitter for more racing insight.
Latest Betting Offers
Check the latest free bets and betting offers from the best betting sites in the UK at Freebets.com.
