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Ayr Gold Cup |
Ayr Gold Cup 2009
19th September
William Hill (Ayr) Gold Cup Meeting Worth £600,000
31/08/09
More than £600,000 in prizemoney is available at this year’s William Hill (Ayr) Gold Cup Festival at Ayr Racecourse which runs from Thursday September 17 until Saturday September 19.
The William Hill (Ayr) Gold Cup over the straight six furlongs at Ayr is run on the Saturday with a prize fund of £150,000 and there are 199 entries for the race.
Recent York winner Borderlescott has been allocated 10st 4lbs but is unlikely to run leaving the Jeff Pearce trained Tamagin the likely top weight under 9st 9lbs.
Sponsors William Hill have ante post joint favourites in Henry Candy’s Markab (9st 4lb) and Redford (9st 2lb) from the Michael Bell yard. Both are 9/1 with Dandy Nicholls Evens And Odds (9st 2lb) at 10s and Roger Charlton’s Genki (9st 3lb) next best at 11s.
The 27 horses highest in the weights and standing their ground at the 48 hour declaration stage will contest the Gold Cup with the next 27 running in the Silver Cup and the Bronze Cup featuring the following 27 horses.
The £50,000 Silver Cup will be run on the Saturday for the first time with the inaugural running of the £30,000 Bronze Cup taking place on Friday September 18.
Other top races during the Festival include Thursday’s £20,000 williamhill.com/bonus25 Handicap for the Kilkerran Cup, the Homecoming Harry Roseberry Stakes for the South Ayrshire Cup, a £35,000 race on Friday and on Saturday the williamhill.com Doonside Cup, a Listed Race is run with £60,000 on offer is run.
There is also the £70,000 Laundry Cottage Stud Firth of Clyde Stakes a Group 3 race on Saturday for two year old fillies.
For more information and to book advanced tickets call 0870-8505666 or go online at www.ayr-racecourse.co.uk Special discounts are available on tickets booked seven or more days in advance.
WILLIAM HILL & AYR RACECOURSE CELEBRATE BURNS ANNIVERSARY WITH SPECIALLY COMMISIONED TROPHIES
Bookmakers William Hill, sponsors of the historic Ayr Gold Cup on September 19, are commemorating this year’s Homecoming celebrations and the 250th anniversary of Robert Burns, by commissioning a pair of gold and silver trophies for the winning connections of the William Hill (Ayr) Gold and Silver Cups.
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Renowned Silversmith Graham Stewart from Dunblane was approached by William Hill Chief Executive Ralph Topping, himself a resident of the Trossachs, after Topping had seen examples of Grahams work at the Scottish Parliament in Hollyrood.
“Homecoming year is very special for Scotland,” said Topping, “And lifting the William Hill Gold Cup is also a very special achievement. So I wanted the winning owners of this great race to take away something quintessentially Scottish this year in celebration and I think Graham has captured the magic of Burns with the two magnificent trophies he has created for us”
Stewart has hand crafted two Sterling Silver and Gold trophies, each hand-chased with an inscription from Robert Burns himself. Taken from the poem The Auld Farmer's New-Year Morning Salutation to his Auld Mare, Maggie, the words seem appropriate to a horse who has just proved itself to be amongst the fastest in the land.
| That day, ye was a jinker noble, For heels an' win'! An' ran them till they a' did wauble, Far, far behin'! |
That day, you was a goer noble, For heels and wind! And ran them till they all did wobble, Far, far behind! |
For the first time, both the Gold and Silver Cups will be run on the same day this year (Saturday September 19) with the addition of a William Hill Bronze Cup now the highlight of Ladies Day on Friday September 18.
In addition to the trophies there will be commemorative mementos for the winning jockeys and trainers again specially commissioned from Graham Stewart .
The total prize money for the 2009 William Hill Ayr Gold Cup Festival will top £600,000 with the 27 runners in the six-furlong Gold Cup chasing a pot of £150,000, making it Europe’s richest sprint handicap.
