Gordon Brown – Race Reporter
Gordon has a wealth of experience of racing through his background in the written and broadcast media. His current principle role is reporting and supporting the scene in Scotland on Racing TV and relaying the latest news with Scottish angles.
IT’S Virgin Bet Ayr Gold Cup Ladies Day at Ayr Racceourse today (Friday) and fittingly one of the feature races of the afternoon is the Arran Scottish Sprint EBF Fillies’ Stakes , Listed Race which has arttracted a strong field of 18 horses to run over the five and a half mile trip.
The talented mare Gale Force Maya bypassed tomorrow’s Virgin Bet Ayr Gold Cup to run in this contest and his trainer Michael Dods has high hopes she can deliver with Connor Beasley riding.
Karl Burke has three in the line up – Guilded, the mount of Clifford Lee, Illustrating – to be ridden by Danny Tudhope – and Lullaby Bay who will be partnered by Tom Eaves. There are also two Irish raiders in the field – Fozzy Stack’s My Eyes Adore You and Jessie Harrington’s Sablonne.
Another Listed race on the card is the British EBF Stallions Harry Rosebery Stakes over five furlongs and Bolt Action from the Roger Varian yard is an interesting runner with Ben Curtis riding. This colt was second last time in a similar contest at Ripon and should go close.
The Virgin Bet Ayr Bronze Cup at 3.45 pm is the first of the three big sprints with the Gold and Silver Cups being run on Saturday.
Lucinda Russell, a trainer better known for her exploits in National Hunt racing, has a live contendor here in Ballyare whom won a handicap at Chester recently and who has top jockey Kevin Stott riding.
Other interesting runners here are Tim Easterby’s Music Society, winner of the race back in 2019, course and distance winner Monsieur Kodi, trained by Richard Fahey, and Kevin Ryan’s Fast And Loose.