Khanjar is now aiming for a second Ayr Gold Cup
WILLIE Haggas will attempt to win his second Ayr Gold Cup wins in the last three runnings of the race on Saturday when Khanjar lines up in the £150,000 contest on Saturday.
And the fast improving youngster who runs in the famous blue and white colours of Shadwell Estate has all the credentials to emulate his stablemate Nahaarr who picked up the prize in 2020.
The talented three-yearold has won three of his six starts and been successful three times in his last four runs with the latest victory coming in the Tin Man Handicap at Haydock two weeks ago.
That race only had six runners and it will be very different at Ayr on Saturday when a full field of 25 horses is expected to line up but believe me this horse has class and it’s worth noting that his BHA handicap mark has soared from 85 to 100 over his last three outings.
It is a very tough race for a three-year-old to win which is borne out by the fact that only two horses of that age have struck gold since 2002 and these were Don’t Touch in 2015 and Angel Alexander in 2019. I will be even more keen on Khanjar if jockey Jim Crowley comes up for the ride.
The Haggas horse certainly won’t have things all his own way though as there are some quality performers in the line-up including Commanche Falls from the Michael Dods yard, David O’Meara’s ultra consistent pair Summerghand and Gulliver and Lampang from the Tim Easterby stable.
And Kevin Ryan who will be looking for his sixth success in the race and his entries include last year’s winner Bielsa, Magical Spirit who won the Silver
Cup in 2020 and Bergerac.
But I am confident Khanjar can run the race of his young life to lift the coveted Gold Cup.
Runners for the Silver and Bronze Cups will also be revealed on Thursday and one horse who emerged at the weekend as a prime contender for the former is the Jim Goldie trained Call Me Ginger who ran a blinder of a race to be second to Chipstead in the Portlsnd Handicap at Doncaster on Sunday.
The six-year-old won last year’s Bronze contest but will step up a grade this time round as he now has a rating of 91.
Tim Easterby’s Count D’Orsay was a further length behind Call Me Ginger in third place on Sunday and could also line up in the Silver Cup.
As far as the Bronze Cup goes I really like Vintage Clarets who is a threeyear-old from the Richard Fahey stable who won at Ayr last year.
The Virgin Bet Doonside Cup Listed Race could feature Godolphin’s Dubai Future winner of the Wolferton Stakes at Royal Ascot in June.