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Today's update includes:
The Scottish Challenge for the totesport Ayr Gold Cup
Ian Semple's Horses Benefit from New All-Weather Gallop
ROA Scotland Admission Scheme Extended to Owners from England, Ireland and Wales
Few races in the calendar mean more to Scottish trainers Ian Semple and Jim Goldie than the £120,000 totesport Ayr Gold Cup.
Both trainers have excellent chances of training the first Scottish winner of Europe's richest handicap since Roman Warrior in 1975. Nigel Angus was responsible for the last local victory, when Roman Warrior was literally walked across the road from the famous stables at Cree Lodge to get to the racecourse.
Semple saddles Appalation Trail, a winner on his first attempt at the trip at York last month. Having previously shown considerable ability over distances of 7 - 9 furlongs, the 5 year-old gelding is likely to be staying on well at the finish and must have a big chance.
Goldie has the Group-race winning Orientor in the race. Having been highly tried all season, he is showing signs of a return to form and was second in a Listed race at York earlier this month.
Regardless of how Appalachian Trail gets on in the totesport Ayr Gold Cup, Ian Semple is in ground-breaking form (quite literally).
The Carluke trainer's horses have recently started working on a brand new all-weather "cushion" gallop, similar to the all-weather surface at Wolverhampton. The gallop was installed by the yard's new owner Gordon McDowall whose other capital investments at Belstane Stables include a state-of-the-art barn, providing accommodation for an additional 20 horses and a new horse-walker.
A spokesman for the yard said "The horses are bouncing up the gallop and they love it. We've found that, by working the surface, we can produce going as soft or fast as we like and it is going to be a huge asset. We've already filled more than half of the new stables."
While Semple has just seven more winners to find to equal his previous best tally for a Flat season, he recently achieved another important target when Big Timer won his first Group Race. The 2-year-old gelding is set to stay in the yard and will now be aimed at the Grade-1 Champagne Stakes at Belmont Park (New York) in October.
Scottish Racing is extending its racecourse admission scheme to racehorse owners who live outside Scotland, but own a horse trained north of the border.
In general, racehorse owners with 100% of a horse or whose horse is running at a particular racecourse are given free entry to most racing fixtures. For more than two years, members of the Racehorse Owners Association who live in Scotland and have at least a 5% share of a horse trained in Scotland have additionally been able to benefit from a local scheme that offers them complimentary admission to almost all fixtures at the five Scottish racecourses.
Now the ‘residential’ requirement of the local scheme is being relaxed.
Alan Guthrie, ROA Council member for Scotland, said: “This is another very generous offer for ROA members on behalf of Scottish Racing. It’s another great reason to have a horse trained in Scotland, and a very good selling point for Scottish trainers.”
In order to attract competitive fields of runners, the Scottish racecourses have already invested heavily in prize-money. The average value of the most common races (grades 4-6 on the Flat and grades C-H over jumps, accounting for approximately 90% of races) is £500 (7.8%) higher in Scotland than in England and Wales. That’s £6,933 per race in Scotland compared to £6,433 per race in England and Wales.
Ayr Racecourse is saying a big thank you to its regular Grandstand patrons on the eve of its biggest race meeting of the season, announcing a new £3 million Sports Bar facility for their use.
The new Bar, which will be used on non race days as a Conference and Banqueting Suite, forms a major part of the first phase of the £35 Million redevelopment plan. Other new facilities will include a new Members Bar overlooking the paddock. The Sports Bar will be the biggest bar in Scotland and will be open in time for the 2007 Coral Scottish Grand National next April.
The decision to include the new facility in the Grandstand area was announced by Ayr Racecourse General Manager William Gorol. He said : “Our Grandstand patrons have been patient in waiting for their facilities to improve. Our plans were held up because the Scottish Executive called a Public Inquiry into our £35 million Masterplan, so we thought it only fair the first people to benefit should be them."