Air Raid could make his Golden impact
O’Keefe’s runner catches the eye for QTS contest
In two weeks’ time Scotland’s biggest race meeting the Ayr Gold Cup Festival will get under way and despite the probable lack of crowds this year’s fare should be as good as ever.
The weights for the QTS Ayr Gold Cup were published last week and as expected the top weight goes to the David O’Meara trained Summerghand who is set to carry 9st 13lbs with the next highest Dakota Gold from the Michael Dods yard.
However for likely runners I think we have to venture further down the weights as I don’t think either of these horses will run.
Summerghand was runner- up in the Hopeful Stakes Listed race at Newmarket on Saturday and I feel he is too highly rated now to run in handicaps while Dakota Gold returned to form with a vengeance when winning the Listed Beverley Bullet last week.
That win will see him rated around 110 and I believe Listed and Group races will be his target between now and the end of the season.
The current antepost favourite at odds of 12- 1 is the Andrew Balding trained Chil Chil who is down to carry 8st 8lbs. Running in the King Power Racing colours the four year- old filly has won four of her last six races and been second and third in the other two.
Her last success came in a Class 2 six furlong handicap at Ascot in August and while more is needed to win the QTS Ayr Gold Cup she certainly has the profile for this type of race.
Swindler, currently at 14- 1, was fourth behind Summerghand in the Stewards’ Cup at Goodwood in August and has since changed stables from Ed Walker to George Scott.
There is definitely a big handicap to be won with this four year- old gelding and he is capable of striking a blow off 8st 11lbs.
It’s still a bit early for me to put my head above the parapet but a couple of horses I think are more than capable of running a big race come September 19 are Jedd O’Keefe’s Air Raid ( 8st 11lb) and Wise Counsel ( 8st 12lb) trained in Lambourn by Clive Cox.
The former, a 20- 1 chance, doesn’t have a lot of miles on the clock for a five year- old sprinter and has some good form in the book while the latter, who is on offer at 14s, won at Ayr last September over seven furlongs.
More on the build up next week.