Ayr's Gold Cup meeting gets underway on Thursday and Phill Anderson of the Racing Post supplies us with his best bets on the card.
There are eight races on the opening day of Ayr's big Flat meeting of the season, and we have selections and analysis for three of those contests.
Ayr Racing Tips
14:00 Ayr - Knicks @ 10/1
14:30 Ayr - Sweet Kiss @ 6/1
15:00 Ayr - Galyx @ 5/2
14:00 Ayr - Knicks @ 10/1
The Class 5 sprint over the minimum trip looks like one of the betting races of the day and with bet365 offering five places, it's worth looking for some each-way value.
The one that appeals most is Knicks for Mick and David Easterby. This son of Invincible Spirit has been beaten less than two lengths in five of his last six starts and ran a cracker in defeat at Leicester last time when beaten a length.
That Leicester run is worth marking up having met some trouble in-running at a crucial point when starting to make his challenge and he may have won without having to wait for a run.
He remains 11lb below his last winning handicap mark and this race should set up well for him with all the pace drawn in the high numbers.
Slow ground is also in his favour, having won on soft previously, and he looks overpriced from an each-way perspective on Thursday.
14:30 Ayr - Sweet Kiss @ 6/1
Another horse that should relish the conditions on Thursday is Sweet Kiss in the fillies' handicap.
This four-year-old filly has hit the crossbar in three of her last four starts, including when she was only beaten a nose on her penultimate outing at Redcar, a piece of form that was boosted earlier this week.
Those efforts have all come in faster conditions than ideal for her, so more ease in the ground could see her resume progress and while she's gone up a few pounds for her recent exploits, she's still lurking 1lb below her last winning handicap mark.
Ulysses' progeny often improve with age, so there could still be more to come from this filly and Jack Nicholls, who rides her for the first time on Thursday, is very good value for the 3lb he remains able to claim.
Tim Easterby's yard has been among the winners in recent weeks and the stable is no stranger to scoring at this meeting, so Sweet Kiss makes plenty of appeal at her odds.
15:00 Ayr - Galyx @ 5/2
Galyx is always a real threat when he gets soft or heavy ground and with plenty of rain in the forecast, conditions should come right for this son of Calyx.
The five-year-old has had to wait for his conditions this term but got firmly back on track on heavy ground when bolting up at Beverley towards the end of last month, despite going hard on the front end.
Another uncontested lead isn't out of the question in this race, with little pace in opposition and a 5lb rise in the weights which underestimates that performance.
This doesn't look like the strongest Class 2 handicap around and if Galyx remains in the same form, he could be tough to pass.
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Tipster's Recent Winners
Phill Anderson picked out five winners for bet365 last month, including Dancing In Paris (recommended at 12/1) and Johnny Concrete (recommended at 5/1).
Ayr Racing Tips
14:00 Ayr - Knicks @ 10/1
14:30 Ayr - Sweet Kiss @ 6/1
15:00 Ayr - Galyx @ 5/2
Horse Racing Betting Guides
What is an Each Way bet in Horse Racing?
This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
