Ayr Gold Cup: Gordon Lord Byron tops weights

The Ayr Gold Cup is always a competitive affair
Irish-trained Gordon Lord Byron heads the weights on 9st 12lb for the Ayr Gold Cup on September 22...
Tom Hogan's four-year-old staked his claim for the six-furlong heritage handicap with victory in the listed City of York Stakes on the Knavesmire on Saturday. There is a massive entry of 208 that includes last year's winner Our Jonathan (9st 6lb).
Kevin Ryan's charge was last seen finishing unplaced in the Great St Wilfrid Handicap at Ripon, which was won by Pepper Lane for the second successive season. David O'Meara's mare has also been allotted 9st 6lb.
Our Jonathan is one of four past winners of the Ayr Gold Cup given an entry along with Jimmy Styles (9st 4lb), hero of this race in 2009, the 2008 scorer Regal Parade (9st) and Advanced (8st 4lb), successful in 2007.
Stewards' Cup hero Hawkeyethenoo (9st 8lb) could try to complete a notable sprint handicap double. Jim Goldie's stable star denied Imperial Guest (9st 2lb) by a nose at Glorious Goodwood.
The latter's trainer George Margarson has not ruled out running the six-year-old in the feature race at the Western Meeting after his charge got his head in front at the Sussex course over seven furlongs on Saturday. "He's come out of Goodwood very good and we've just got to decide where to go with him," said the Newmarket handler.
"He's a possibility for the Ayr Gold Cup, but there's a race at Ascot two weeks later which he might go for instead. We'll see. I'm keen to go to Ayr, but the owners live near Ascot. It would be nice to do the two, Redford won both two years ago, but it's a long old drive up to Scotland and with a horse like him it could flatten him for two or three weeks. I'll leave the options open and I'm not saying he's in or out of anything. You never know what the weather is going to do."
Mark Johnston has two leading contenders near the top of the handicap in Van Ellis and Fulbright. Both have been allotted 9st 6lb.
However, Sir Michael Stoute's Duke of Firenze (8st 5lb) and Ron Harris's Prodigality (8st 4lb), who are both prominent in the ante-post market, trading at 15.5n/a and 15.014/1 respectively, could struggle to get into the maximum 27-strong field.
For those missing the cut for the Gold Cup, there are two consolation races, the Silver and Bronze Cups.
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