Today's Tote Placepot Tips for Ayr

Leg 1 Selections: Revich, Persuasion 

REVICH won a pretty good renewal of this race last year and while he’s three-pounds higher this time round, against slightly tougher opponents, Richard Spencer has probably aimed him at this race all season. He wasn’t given a hard time of things when down the field here over further just two days ago and has already made the frame three times this year off marks of 95, 95 and 96 and ran a blinder when third in the Golden Mile. He must have a fantastic chance off top-weight. 

David Barron has an impressive 21% strike-rate at this course in the last five years and I also like his PERSUASION, who’s been mostly consistent in defeat this year and was unlucky not to win at Doncaster two starts ago when denied a clear passage before surging home to take third. He was well beaten on his only previous try at a mile but interestingly that was in the 2,000 Guineas two years ago, so he’s well worth another shot at this distance and has the capabilities to run a big race here. 

Leg 2 Selections: Marie’s Diamond

MARIE’S DIAMOND has predominantly been campaigned over shorter throughout his career and while he’s been down the field on his last two attempts over this trip and is only a losing spell, he does have a bit of decent form over this distance (second in Dubai) and this could be the time to catch him, as I can only see the favourite Phantom Flight as his main danger. 

It favours to be up with the pace at this venue and that’s exactly why this hardy front-runner has done well on both his previous trips to the Scottish venue. He won one of them and was narrowly denied in the other and following a creditable second to Alflaila at Pontefract in July, he ran well when third behind that same rival in a Group Three at York and filled the same spot behind the progressive Triple Time in another Group Three last time. 

It’s quite possible he’ll get a soft lead too, as his early pace should prove too much for Dark Moon Rising to handle and Jason Hart, who keeps the partnership intact, is at the top of his game this year. This is a drop in grade from his last three assignments, so if he can run to his verified ability over this longer distance with track and conditions up his street, he should make a bold bid now returned to the scene of his success here last year. 

Leg 3 Selections: Bernardo O’Reilly, Aplomb, Abolish

An ultra-tough edition of the Silver Cup with the main event still to come a little later on. A bit of juice in the ground would have certainly increased his chances but even so, I still think BERNARDO O’REILLY has a good chance of improving on his creditable sixth in this race two years ago. He wasn’t able to land a blow in the Bronze Cup at this meeting last year but he absolutely sprouted wings in this in 2020, coming from miles back to finish sixth and to this day, I haven’t seen a horse finish a race as strongly as he did on that occasion. That eye-catching display was off this mark and he did beat a few of these at Doncaster last year. If he doesn’t get himself too far back, the eight-year-old has a chance under Danny Tudhope. 

APLOMB is seen to best effect when there’s a spot of rain about but he was unlucky at Thirsk last time on good ground, where he travelled best and was held in a pocket over a furlong from the finish, which saw him have to go around the field before flying home when the race was pretty much done. The assessor has relinquished his mark by a pound and he’s made the frame multiple times off higher marks in the past, while he’s only a pound above his last winning mark too. If he gets a clear run, he should go well and is Jane Chapple-Hyams’ main hope of the two participants she has in this race.

ABOLISH had certainly been on his travels before joining the Iain Jardine team and finished an eye-catching second to Khanjar, the current favourite for the Ayr Gold Cup, which was his best effort of the year so far. Since his stable debut third last year off a mark of 100, he’s gradually got the hang of things in the UK and he lost very little in defeat last time despite racing keenly and having to come wide around the remainder. This large-field scenario from a nice draw in stall 11 should help him settle a lot better and I can see him posing a threat here. 

Leg 4 Selections: Queen Me 

The Kevin Ryan-trained QUEEN ME made a winning debut back in July and was a whisker away from winning the Group 2 Lowther Stakes at York a month ago, where she produced a decisive move to go down by only a neck and she would have won in another stride. That said, she’s open to more improvement and given that is the best form on offer, she’s taken to make amends in this drop in grade. Believing can chase her home.  

Leg 5 Selections: Admiral D, Zarzyni

Khanjar is the current favourite for the feature race of the day, so there’s no way Richard Fahey’s ADMIRAL D should be available at such large odds who was in front of the former comfortably at Newmarket. I know he hasn’t been able to get heavily involved in three starts since but I really liked the way he come through the field at Newmarket to take second with Khanjar held in third and is effectively three-pounds lower here if you take his riders five-pounds claim into account and is better off with the favourite too. He’s ideally drawn down the middle, will carry a low weight, and is pretty well-treated too, so there’s a lot to like about his chances. ZARZYNI wasn’t at his best last time but that’s the only time he disappointed in the UK and was progressive beforehand, so he’s not written off despite remaining a shade high in the weights. 

Leg 6 Selections: Pol Roger 

POL ROGER hasn’t exactly looked really impressive in both wins to date but he won with more in hand than the margin indicated last-time-out. His performance can be marked up, as he was giving over a stone to the odds-on favourite that day. Connor Beasley and Michael Dods are in great form of late and that bodes well for the chances of this hat-trick seeker, who should be suited to this course. Animate is the chief threat but Pol Roger is making giant strides and could some beating here in leg six.