The Ayr Gold Cup headlines arguably Scotland's best Flat card of the year and the Racing Post's Robbie Wilders is on hand to provide three selections.
1.55 Ayr
Phantom Flight @ 13/8
2pts win
3.40 Ayr
Bielsa @ 10/1
1pt each-way
3.40 Ayr
Gis A Sub @ 20/1
1pt each-way
Phantom can take flight
Phantom Flight looks one of the strongest favourites of the day at Ayr in the Listed Doonside Cup Stakes (1.55) and gets the nod.
You can never rule out likable veteran Euchen Glen in any race but 1m2f is probably short enough nowadays, while Roger Varian's representative Royal Champion has turned a corner this season and is proven at a higher level, having ran third to Regal Reality in a Group 3 at Windsor.
However, Phantom Flight is improving quickly and not many horses are able to win York handicaps in the manner he did when a dominant five-length scorer in August. The Siyouni colt absolutely bolted up and ran to a Racing Post Rating of 115 - a far superior figure than any of his rivals have run to this campaign and as a three-year-old he receives weight from each of them.
Phantom Flight should also be capable of better after just five runs and his previous third to New London is a Newmarket handicap reads really well. He looks a potential top-notcher for James Horton and should be much too good.
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Ryan pair make most appeal in Gold Cup
The Ayr Gold Cup (3.40) is always one of the best sprint handicaps of the year and Kevin Ryan's record in the race is superb as he has landed five runnings since 2007.
One of those came last season with Bielsa and he is one of my fancies each-way with 365 paying six places.
Bielsa ran out a stylish winner in 2021 when racing alone on the stands' side under Kevin Stott and the handicapper raised him 9lb to 107 for that. Consequently he was probably rated too high for handicaps and has been primarily switching between Listed and Group 3 level since with limited success.
This seven-year-old falls just short of Pattern company, but is well capable off marks in the 90s and crucially has dropped to 99, just 1lb higher than last season's winning rating.
The stars could be aligning and the fact he is drawn in stall 17 and in close proximity to a couple of the likely pace angles in Mister Wagyu (15) and Gis A Sub (14) is a plus. Middle could be the place to be as there isn't too much bankable pace in the low and high stalls.
Bielsa's stablemate Gis A Sub is my other selection each-way and I'm confident we haven't yet seen the best of this talented sprinter.
The Ryan stable clearly holds this three-year-old in high regard as he was thrown in at the deep end two starts back in the Group 1 Commonwealth Cup after tackling a Group 2 at Haydock.
Gis A Sub failed to cut much ice in that company but this looks more his level and he is entitled to step forward from his first run in two months at York in August following a gelding operation.
He wasn't beaten far on the Knavesmire and that should have put him spot on for this.
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