Saint Equiano can go marching in again for Dalgleish in Ayr feature

Ayr stages its penultimate Flat meeting of the season today with an eight-race card and more than 90 runners.

The action starts at 2:10pm with the Racing UK Nursery Handicap over a mile, while the feature is the Weatherbys Racing Diaries Handicap at 4:20pm with 13 runners in the Class 3 race over 7f 50y.

Saint Equiano, who won at the track on the opening day of last month’s William Hill Ayr Gold Cup Festival, carries top weight and should be hard to beat if in the same form.

Having run well in defeat twice at Ayr in June, the Keith Dalgleish-trained gelding finished third at Chester.

After a couple of months off, the four-year-old returned to Ayr and turned what looked a competitive handicap into a procession. Given the manner of the victory, it is no surprise the assessor has handed him an 8lb rise.

However, that may not be enough to stop him following up if he is in similar mood.

Richard Fahey saddles two in the race – Queen Penn, the mount of Paddy Mathers, and Inviolable Spirit due to be ridden by Paul Hanagan.

In the Weatherbys Hamilton Handicap at 4:55pm, Top Mission, trained by Saeed bin Suroor and the mount of David Allan carries top weight and he should take all the beating.

However, Dalgleish’s threeyear-old I’m Improving looked quite an exciting prospect whenroundingoffhisjuvenile campaign with a runaway victory at Redcar. He still looked a little green when fourth on his reappearance at Wetherby but was prominent in the market on his next start at Carlisle. Fitted with a hood for the first time, I’m Improving disappointed over a mile and three furlongs on a stiff track.

Back at a mile and a quarter on a flatter surface, Dalgleish’s charge can make his presence felt.