John Arnold looks ahead to one of the most competitive sprint handicaps of the season. He takes a deep dive into the race and picks out three runners not to ignore for the Scottish showpiece. History: The Ayr Gold Cup, first established in 1966, is one of the most prestigious sprint races in the UK and is held annually at Ayr Racecourse in Scotland. Designed for thoroughbred horses aged three years and older, this exciting flat race is run over a distance of 6 furlongs and ha
After pinpointing the first three home in the Ebor Handicap, John Arnold returns with two worth following in the final classic of the season as he dissects the St Leger. History: The St Leger Stakes, inaugurated in 1776, is the oldest Classic horse race in the world, held annually at Doncaster Racecourse. Established by Colonel Anthony St Leger as a way to promote horse racing in the area, the race was originally planned as a local event but quickly gained popularity, becomi
For the second week running, Mickael Barzalona and the famous colours of the Aga Khan stole the headlines as Rayif landed the Group 1 Prix Jacques le Marois. The complexion of the race changed dramatically last Tuesday following the shock announcement that unbeaten star Bow Echo had been retired and would therefore miss the Deauville showpiece. While the news came as a huge disappointment to racing fans across the globe, who had hoped to see more of the hugely talented colt,
Matt Polley has been on a rich run of form of late and pinpoints two runners worth following to kick-start the week. 14:51 THIRSK We’re at the time of year where horses can change out of all recognition, and these nurseries are a prime example. Breaking The Habit and Ma Fille De Reve are interesting on handicap debut, however the top weight filly Dissenter already has some decent form in the book and will certainly appreciate this drop back to six furlongs. She should be ru
The St Leger Festival draws to a close on Sunday, but there's still plenty of quality action to get stuck into as Doncaster brings the curtain down on its four-day meeting. Town Moor provides a mixture of competitive handicaps and Group-race action, while across the Irish Sea the Curragh stages another high-class card featuring some of the most exciting runners from Britain and Ireland. We preview Sunday's televised action from Doncaster and the Curragh and pick out our best