Head west for three days of superb racing

Absolutely buzzing for Ayr this week. The three days down by the seaside are going to be outstanding with a Class One race every single day of the Gold Cup Festival.

The Listed Doonside Cup moves from the Saturday to Thursday with Keith Dalgleish’s Maleficent Queen bidding to reign over some classy southern raiders.

Over the three days, nearly £700,000 is up for grabs which will have the cavalry charging over the border to take on our local team.

Jim Goldie and Linda Perratt were on the board as usual last year and Dalgleish had a couple to ensure that a large chunk of the prize money stayed north of the wall.

Friday’s highlights include the £ 50,000 Harry Rosebery Stakes and the William Hill Bronze Cup.

But Saturday’s big one already has an intriguing look.

Richard Fahey had a whale of a time a year ago with an amazing eight winners.

Fahey claimed the Ayr Gold Cup with well-backed Don’t Touch and the money is already down for his Growl this time around.

Owner Dr Marwan Koukash likes the race and his nag has been all the rage after early season wins at Nottingham and Windsor.

Fahey is a master at getting one ready for the big day and tune-ups at Newmarket and Goodwood have seen the dosh push his price down to about 7/1.

This, though, is no one-horse affair. It’s wide-open as per usual with a couple at big prices catching my eye.

Bryan Smart’s Nameitwhatyoulike is on a hat-trick and looks a decent animal at 14/1 for a contest like this one.

I’ll also be keeping a wee peeper on Hillbilly Boy who looks to have been laid out for the race by Tom Dascombe and odds of 25/1 will have me reaching for the Punter wallet.

Interesting also that some of the shrewdies have latched onto Big Time for Kevin Ryan who has won three of the last nine runnings. An unlucky third at Goodwood last time, the 20/1 might look huge come Saturday.

In fairness, you could make a case for about 15 horses at this stage. Can’t wait.

Before Ayr, Kelso gets going for the season on Wednesday. If you’ve never been, get along for a 4.15 start. It’s a smashing wee track and another top season of jumpers lies ahead.