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totesport Ayr Gold Cup Festival
11/09/05

SCOTLAND’S richest flat race meeting  - now officially titled the totesport Ayr Gold Cup Festival but known to most as the Western Meeting – is run at Ayr from Thursday to Saturday.
 
More than £400,000 in prizemoney is available over the 22 races and the first prize for the race of the week – the totesport Ayr Gold Cup is £70,000.
 
The sun was beating down on the Ayr track yesterday (Sunday) and the going is currently described as good to firm and clerk of the course Anthea Morshead says she will water if necessary.
 
Anthea said :”There was a fair bit of rain on Friday but there’s not much forecast between now and the end of the week so we’ll water if its needed. The going should be on the fast side of good but overall it will be good racing ground.
 
“The Gold Cup Festival at Ayr is always a great occasion and everyone at the course is looking ahead to this year’s events both on and off course and we should have super fields all three days.”
 
The festival gets under way at 2.10 pm on Thursday and there are seven races on Thursday and Friday with an eight race card on Saturday.
 
Such is the esteem in which the three day meeting is held a string of top jockeys including Frankie Dettori, Jamie Spencer, Seb Sanders, Daryll Holland, Philip Robinson and Willie Supple will be in action at Ayr and leading trainers Saeed bin Suroor, Mark Johnston, Mick Channon, John Gosden, Richard Hannon and Howard Johnson will all be represented.
 
Betting is heating up for the totesport Ayr Gold Cup – Europe’s richest sprint handicap – and sponsors are currently offering Ice Planet from Dandy Nicholls yard and Out After Dark (Clive Cox) as joint 8/1 favourites. Another well fancied horse is Willie Muir’s Texas Gold which would prove a popular local winner as the Lambourn based handler has strong family connections in the Ayr area.
 
The biggest ever Ladies Day held at a Scottish Racecourse is being staged at Ayr on Friday when a staggering £25,000 worth of prizes are on offer with the winner receiving a brand new £17,000 Volkswagen Beetle convertible with runners up prizes including a cruise and diamonds !
 
A total of 28 ladies will contest the final each having won a silver coin. All 28 will draw a number corresponding to that of a runner in the totesport Ayr Silver Cup.
 
The holder of the coin bearing the number of the winner of the race will win a £17,000 Volkswagen Beetle Convertible courtesy of the Ingram Motoring Group. Runners up prizes include a seven day Mediterranean cruise courtesy of Stewart Travel and P & O cruises, a £2500 white gold diamond and sapphire Nina Ricci necklace and ear-rings set from Oghams the jewellers of Ayr and Edinburgh, a £300 voucher from High Street fashion retailer Planet, totesport betting vouchers, a membership for Ayr Racecourse and a membership for Curves Gym in Ayr.
 
Already ladies from as far afield as Kilkeel, County Down and Newcastle have secured places in the final but the good news is there are still some silver coins to be won. Best Dressed Ladies attending the Thursday meeting on September 15 will have a chance of a place in the final as will those arriving early on September 16.