Ayr Gold Cup Festival 2014: Tracking Daily Results and Prize Money Payout

Scotland's Ayr Racecourse will once again play host to a three-day racing festival that will culminate with the 2014 Ayr Gold Cup on Saturday, one of Britain's most prestigious flat handicap thoroughbred races on the calendar.   

While the Gold Cup undoubtedly steals the spotlight, the three-day event features a host of exciting races and plenty of opportunities for punters to score big.

Read on for a daily breakdown of the results and prize money payout.

Saturday Update

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Last year's runner-up Louis The Pious did one better on Saturday, winning the 2014 Ayr Gold Cup, the marquee event of this year's Ayr Gold Cup festival.

Much had been made of the advantage horses drawn closest to the stands rail appeared to have on Thursday and Friday, and the draw again appeared to have a huge impact on the race.

Eight total races were on the schedule for the final day of the event, but all were focused on the Gold Cup, Scotland's single biggest flat handicap thoroughbred race.

The full results:

Race	Winner	Second	Third	Payout
QTS Nursery	Power Play (6-1)	Sir Chauvelin (6-1)	Alans Pride 7-1)	Winner £12,450 2nd £3,728 3rd £1,864 4th £932 5th £466 6th £234
Firth of Clydes Stakes	Dark Reckoning(25-1)	Parsley (9-1)	Ainippe (3-1f)	Winner £34,026 2nd £12,900 3rd £6,456 4th £3,216 5th £1,614 6th £810
Silver Cup	Huntsman's Close (9-1)	Mehdi (14-1)	Bogart (8-1f)	Winner £31,125 2nd £9,320 3rd £4,660 4th £2,330 5th £1,165 6th £585
80th Anniversary Book Launch Doonside Cup	Sky Hunter (9-4f)	Sennockian Star (10-3)	Mutatis Mutandis (8-1)	Winner £34,026 2nd £12,900 3rd £6,456 4th £3,216 5th £1,614 6th £810
Gold Cup	Louis The Pious (10-1)	Minalisa (33-1)	Blaine (7-1f)	Winner £99,600 2nd £29,824 3rd £14,912 4th £7,456 5th £3,728 6th £1,872
Ayrshire Handicap	Ticking Katie (10-1)	Don't Call Me (12-1)	Two For Two (15-2)	Winner £15,562 2nd £4,660 3rd £2,330 4th £1,165 5th £582 6th £292
Microtech Support Handicap	Earth Drummer (7-2f)	Athletic (4-1)	George Rooke (8-1)	Winner £9,704 2nd £2,888 3rd £1,443 4th £722
Jordan Electrics Handicap	Buthelezi (11-4f)	Thorntoun Care (7-1)	Dark Ruler (4-1)	Winner £9,704 2nd £2,888 3rd £1,443 4th £722

Hamza and Heaven's Guest started strong in the Gold Cup, splitting the pack in two groups and taking the lead at the respective rails. Hamza broke towards the middle of the track, but with nobody following, the action now focused on the group near the stands.

Louis The Pious remained right on the tail of Heaven's Guest, who was able to fight of the challenge until the final furlong. James Doyle timed his jump beautifully, charging away from the pack to record a comfortable win by several lengths.

As shared by BBC Sport's Francis Keogh, the jockey recorded a phenomenal treble with the win:

He told Channel 4 Racing he was ecstatic to finally get the win at Ayr, taking advantage of the beautiful line he was given near the rail:

For owner Frank Gillespie, the win capped off a phenomena win, per Keogh:

Louis The Pious ran with a visor for the first time, as trainer David O'Meara told Channel 4 Racing:

Minalisa ran a great race to finish second, ahead of favourite Blaine, with Heaven's Guest falling back to fourth in the final furlong.

Doyle rode Huntsman Close to a win in the Silver Cup earlier in the day, starting closest o the railing and taking the lead from Mehdi inside the final furlong. The Silver Cup was an incredible precursor of things to come, ad Doyle used very similar tactics to win and favourite Bogart came in third.

Ticking Katie took the Ayrshire Handicap ahead of Don't Call Me, as odds-on favourite Top Of The Glas never featured. Withdrawn twice in the last week, punters were worn the horse was in no shape whatsoever.

That didn't stop some from trying:

Following the conclusion of the 2014 Ayr Gold Cup, owners and trainers will regroup before returning to Ayre for the September Finale Raceday.

Friday Update

The second day of the 2014 Ayr Open was Ladies day. It was a day that was unkind to the favourites with only two winning from the day's eight races.

However, there was plenty of room for outsiders to cause some shocks and reward daring betting. In all, five rank outsiders won on the course.

The racing schedule was highlighted by the William Hill Bronze Cup handicap, a 27-horse field of three year olds and above. Victory was claimed by Expose.

The image of the horse powering over the finishing line was captured by the the Racing Plus official Twitter account:

Here's the full list of the day's winners, along with payout information:

Race	Winner	Second	Third	Payout	Prize Money
The British Stallion Studs	Lostock Hall 9/4 f	Henrytheaeroplane 7/2	Lord Of The Rock 9/2	Tote Win: £4.60 Tote Place: £1.10 £1.70 Straight Forecast: £9.16 Exacta: £10.20 Trifecta: £56.89	Winner: £5,175 2nd: £1,540 3rd: £770
The Enable Scottish Diamond Anniversary Nursery Handicap	Roossey 3/1f	Danot 33/1	George Bowen 10/1	Tote Win: £4.90 Tote Place: £1.80 £9.90 Straight Forcecast: £115.24 Exacta: £135.10 Trifecta: £2, 471.90	Winner: £15,562 2nd: 4,660 3rd: 2,330
The William Hill Ayr Bronze Cup Handicap	Expose 12/1	Iseemist 25/1	My Name is Rio 12/1	Tote Win: £17.00 Tote Place: £3.40 £7.00 Straight Forecast: £289.70 Exacta £555.50 Trifecta: £1,985.20	Winner: £18,675 2nd: £5,592 3rd: £2,796
The Vokera & Graham The Plumbers Merchant Handicap	Noble Asset 16/1	Ladweb12/1	Red Baron 50/1	Tote Win: £19.70 Tote Place: £4.10 £3.20 Straight Forecast: £179.27 Exacta: £264.90 Trifecta: £4,975.60	Winner: £6,469 2nd: £1,925 3rd: £962
The Ebf Stallions Harry Rosebery Stakes	Accipiter 25/1	Mind of Madness 4/1	Squats 3/1 f	Tote: £33.40 Tote Place: £7.60 £1.90 Straight Forecast: £120.64 Exacta: £283.50 Trifecta: £2,102.60	Winner: £22,684 2nd: £8,600 3rd: £4,304
The Bam Properties Ltd Handicap	Nashville 15/2	Jonny Delta 8/1	Moidore 6/1	Tote Win: £5.20 Tote Place: £1.80 £3.00 Straight Forecast: £66.37 Exacta: 83.60 Trifecta: £701.80	Winner: £9,704 2nd: £2,888 3rd: £1,443
The Enterprise Screen 10 Years of Video Handicap Div 1	Beautiful Stranger 11/2	Mfiftythreedotcom 15/8 f	Dark Crystal 11/1	Tote Win: £6.20 Tote Place: £2.50 £1.10 Straight Forecast: £15.70 Exacta: £13.70 Trifecta: £70.60	Winner: £3,881, 2nd: £1,155 3rd: £577
The Enterprise Screen 10 Years of Video Handicap Div 2	Trinity Star 5/1	Inspector Norse (7/4 f)	Breakable 16/1	Tote Win: £6.50 Tote Place: £1.50 £1.60 Straight Forecast: £14.16 Exacta: £18.20 Trifecta: £147.30	Winner: £3,381, 2nd: £1,155 3rd: £577

Entering the day's highlight race at 12-1, Expose had too much speed for the crowded field. Running from the 27th stall, Expose's closest competition came from Iseemist.

Trainer Shaun Harris expressed his delight per Racing UK (h/t Sky Sports): "This is my biggest winner as a trainer by far. We've only had the horse a short time and he had a problem behind when he came but he's always had ability."

Harris' horse left 4/1 favourite Mishaal relegated to fifth place, just behind 33/1 outsider Dissent. Expose started a run of five-straight wins for outsiders.

Noble Asset, priced at 16/1, was just as impressive in The Vokera & Graham The Plumbers Merchant Handicap. In fact, this race was good for a few surprises, most notably the performance of 50/1 outsider, and eventual third-place finisher, Red Baron.

In the end though, Noble Asset had just enough to edge in front of the field and stay there. Jockey Phillip Mackin kept the pace high to force the horse over the line:

Away from the main events, the Harry Rosebery stakes rewarded those brave enough to bet on the outsider. At 25/1, the Ashley Morgan-rode Accipiter paid out at a staggering £22,684.

The horse upset the odds to leave 3/1 favourite Squats trailing in the third. Squats had been the tip of the day from Sky Sports reporter Alex Hammond:

Thoughts will now turn to Saturday's headline event, the Gold Cup race. It's importance is described by Ayr-Racecourse.co.uk: "To so many northern trainers and racing aficionados The William Hill Ayr  Gold Cup is their Derby, their raison d'etre it really is that special."

Just like the Bronze Cup, 27 horses will line up for to form a crowded field for the main race. The prospective early favourite for this prestigious meeting has been identified as Watchable. That's according to Betting.Betfair.com writer Joe Rendall.

Thursday Update

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A total of eight races took place on Thursday, including the highly anticipated Kilkerran Cup and the Irish Yearling Stakes. Conditions were good to firm, making for a very fast track on the first day of the Ayr Gold Cup Festival.

Race	Winner	Second	Third	Payout
British Stallion Novice Stakes	Moonlightnavigator (13-8f)	Swift Approval (2-1)	Farham (15-8)	Tote Win £2.40 Straight Forecast £5.16 Exacta £4.60 Trifecta £5.90
SM Signs Maiden Auction Stakes	Get Knotted (2-1)	Fullon Clarets (5-1)	Spirit of Zeb (15-8f)	Tote Win £2.70 Tote Place £1.80 £2.60 Straight Forecast £11.15 Exacta £10.20 Trifecta £16.50 Swingers 1&2 £2.70, 2&3 £2.50, 1&3 £1.40
Wallace McDowall Handicap	Orient Class (8-1)	Sewn Up (18-1)	Autum Tide (14-1)	Tote Win £9.10 Tote Place £2.00 £5.40 £3.10 £2.70 Straight Forecast £135.29 Exacta £180.60 Trifecta £2,388.80 Swingers 1&2 £37.70, 2&3 £27.50, 1&3 £27.60
Hillhouse Quarry Handicap	Anderiego (11-2)	Coincidently (14-1)	Almuheet (4-1f)	Tote Win £5.20 Tote Place £1.90 £5.80 £1.80 Straight Forecast £72.66 Exacta £97.60 Trifecta £500.00 Swingers 1&2 £10.50, 2&3 £12.00, 1&3 £3.80
Irish Yearling Handicap D1	Bachotheque (11-1)	Old Man Clegg (4-1f)	Beautiful Stranger (8-1)	Tote Win £10.00 Tote Place £3.10 £2.00 £3.10 Straight Forecast £52.61 Exacta £76.60 Trifecta £1,144.00 Swingers 1&2 £11.80, 2&3 £10.70, 1&3 £20.80
Irish Yearling Handicap D2	Evanescent (5-1)	We'll Deal Again (12-1)	Almanack (9-2j)	Tote Win £10.00 Tote Place £2.80 £3.20 £1.70 Straight Forecast £59.77 Exacta £67.40 Trifecta £608.80 Swingers 1&2 £9.30, 2&3 £6.20, 1&3 £8.40
Kilkerran Cup	Fire Fighting (9-2j)	Maven (12-1)	Dance King (7-1)	Tote Win £5.50 Tote Place £2.00 £5.10 £2.20 Straight Forecast £55.42 Exacta £60.00 Trifecta £352.40 Swingers 1&2 £10.60, 2&3 £16.20, 1&3 £7.10
Merchant's Prestwick Handicap	Harrison's Cave (12-1)	Choisan (16-1)	Bayan Karsirga (7-2f)	Tote Win £10.70 Tote Place £4.10 £5.90 £1.10 Straight Forecast £183.33 Exacta £178.50 Trifecta £2,126.30 Swingers 1&2 £23.60, 2&3 £17.60, 1&3 £14.00

Thursday's marquee event was the 10-furlong Kilkerran Cup, with a purse of £25,000. Joint favourite Fire Fighting dominated the field, beating the pack by more than a length.

Local favourite Mistiroc failed to live up to the billing, losing ground in the first two furlongs and finishing fifth.

Ridden by Joe Fanning and trained by Mark Johnston, Fire Fighting became the first Scottish winner on the day. William Hill's Jon Ivan-Duke congratulated the three-year-old Bay Gelding:

Having won in Bath in convincing fashion on Saturday, there was little doubt concerning Fire Fighting's ability. Fitness proved to be a non-issue, as Fanning kept the three-year-old near the front of the pack from the start. And as soon as he pushed forward, it became clear there would be no stopping him.

Bachoteque won the Irish Yearling Stakes in equally dominant fashion, as shared by Racing Plus:

David Allan stayed right on the tail of favourite Old Man Clegg, who took the lead with two furlongs left to go, and a late push saw Bachoteque surge ahead and comfortably keep pace in the final furlong.

It wasn't a good day for the favourites, as Harrison's Cave took the final race of the day, with 7-2 Bayan Kasirga falling to third.

Graham Lee took a massive risk steering Orient Class to the stands-side rail, away from his competitors, but he managed to keep pace with the main group and hit the front inside the final furlong, winning with more than two lengths to spare.

Channel 4 Racing thought it was a brave move:

"

Graham Lee will get plenty of praise for being brave enough to fly solo on the stands-side rail and win at Ayr on ORIENT CLASS

— Channel 4 Racing (@Channel4Racing) September 18, 2014"

Friday will be Ladies Day at the Ayr Gold Cup Festival, where Al Fareej will be the strong favourite going into the Harry Rosebery Stakes.

The Bronze Cup will give the horses excluded from Saturday's main event a chance to shine as well, and with a field of 27, a spectacle is almost guaranteed.