Huge entry for Ayr prize

A massive 173 horses have been entered for the £100,000 (€156,500) Tote Ayr Gold Cup - the richest sprint handicap in Europe.

Sprint king David Nicholls accounts for 18 of the entries and the Jean Keegan-owned Funfair Wane on 8st 12lb is his highest weighted contender.

He also has Sony Victoria Cup winner Scotty’s Future (8st 8lb), prolific Goodwood winner Zuhair (7st 4lb) and Hurricane Floyd (8st 2lb) in his squad of possibles.

The weights for the six-furlong contest are headed by the William Haggas-trained Suggestive who has been allotted 9st 13lb after two successes this season.

Linda Perratt, who trains across the road from Ayr racecourse has nine entries including Ptarmigan Ridge (7st 9lb), Ho Leng (7st 7lb) and Get Stuck In (7st 2lb).

Fellow Scottish trainer Jim Goldie has Indian Spark (9st 5lb), Judicious (8st 2lb) and Albashoosh (8st) as his possible runners and he will be hoping to land the first home victory since Roman Warrior won in 1975.

Vodafone Stewards’ Cup hero Bond Boy (8st 5lb) is among the entries as is Capricho (9st 2lb), who won the Wokingham Handicap at Royal Ascot and the unbeaten Polar Way (9st) from the yard of Amanda Perrett.

There are three Irish-trained contenders with Final Exam (9st 6lb) and Candleriggs (8st 4lb) from the yard of Dermot Weld and the Michael Halford-trained Cool Cousin (8st 6lb).

The race has a safety limit of 29 and those horses that miss the cut can run in the Tote (Ayr) Silver Cup on the Friday of the meeting.

Chirs Kennedy, clerk of the course at Ayr, is thrilled to see another huge entry for the race which just short of last year’s record of 180 entries.

He said: “Since the Toe took over the sponsorship of the £100,000 (€156,500) Ayr Gold Cup last year, the race has seen its two largest entries and we are delighted to have attracted such interest once again.

“It will be fascinating to see if one of the Scottish-trained horse can keep the prize north of the border for the first time in 27 years.”