I'm heading up to Ayr first thing on Saturday morning, it's not a place I've been to all that often to be honest, just because it's so far away from me - but it's a beautiful track and always a great festival to be a part of.
1.15 - Ladbrokes "Free Bet At Ayr" Handicap - Arctic Grey
Arctic Grey had a bit of a break after a gelding operation but I thought he ran really last time at Ascot. He was dropped a pound for that run and he was always going to come on for it. He's worked really nicely at home but this is a very competitive Class 2 race. But he'll be going there with an each-way chance.
2.25 - Ladbrokes Ayr Silver Cup Handicap - Dark Thirty
Since his gelding operation, Dark Thirty has been a lot more straightforward to work with, and he's competed with his heart on his sleeve in every race this year. The handicapper does have him where he wants him, and he always seems to run into these handicaps when he's carrying top weight. Everything will suit him as per usual in terms of the track and the trip.
He's a frontrunner who likes to get his own way, but that's difficult to do when you're in a race as competitive as this, which suits all horses with that attribute. Obviously there's going to be more than us who are going to want to ride there's forward. He'll run his race as usual though, and if he finds a dot of improvement, I wouldn't be surprised to see him winning.
3.35 - Ladbrokes Ayr Gold Cup Handicap - Aramram
A lot of people will be aiming for this race throughout the year, and you'll see the names at the top of the market; they've aimed for this one and train accordingly. The horses at the top of the market will run really well, you'd expect.
As for our lad, Aramram, he's been trained with this race in mind too for a while now; his recent run at Kempton was only to put him right for this. It seems as though the ground is drying all the time, and if that continues to be the case, I think he'll have a very good chance.
When you're looking at the ones to beat in the field, obviously Northern Ticker is the main one. But I'd say Aramram is definitely my best chance tomorrow - he's a horse I love a lot. A beautiful animal who has been running very consistently all year. He'll do well for his run at Kempton last time, and that should put him perfect for this race, albeit he does need the ground to stay as it is.
