Horsebetting.com experts give their three best bets for the second day of the Ayr Gold Cup Festival on Friday, 21 September. Life Of Riley rates the NAP on the eight-race card in the Listed 5f Harry Rosebery Stakes. Intense Romance is in terrific form at present, so is our NB in the other Listed contest – the 6f Arran Scottish Fillies’ Sprint Stakes. Meanwhile, in the ultra-competitive Ayr Bronze Cup, Kenny The Captain makes plenty of each-way appeal for this sprint handicap. For full details on these horses, read our in-depth preview and Ayr betting tips for September 21.Lots to like about Life Of Riley in Harry Rosebery Life of Riley looks to hold leading claims of landing the Listed 5f Harry Rosebery Stakes on a competitive eight-race card at Ayr on Friday (15:05). This colt hails from the yard of Karl Burke, who has won two of the last nine runnings of the juvenile contest courtesy of Magic Cat (2009) and Quiet Reflection (2015).
Like Quiet Reflection, who went on to develop into a high-class Group 1 winning sprinter, Life Of Riley sports the yellow and white quartered colours of the Ontoawinner syndicate. The son of Showcasing has won only one of his seven starts, but has posted some really solid efforts in defeat.
They include when a 6 1/4 lengths sixth of 28 to Soldier’s Call in the Windsor Castle Stakes at Royal Ascot and a three-quarters of a length second to Well Done Fox in the Listed 5f Dragon Stakes at Sandown, where he stuck to the task well after racing prominently throughout. That form looks strong, as the winner has since gone on to land another Listed contest at the York Ebor Festival.
Life Of Riley has since finished a cracking second of 11 to Rumble Inthejungle in the Group 3 Molecomb Stakes at Glorious Goodwood, where he again showed plenty of early dash go down by 2 1/2 lengths. He had the aforementioned Soldier’s Call a neck back in third, and that one has since landed a Group 3 in France and the Group 2 Flying Childers Stakes at Doncaster in impressive fashion.
That form sets the standard in this and Life Of Riley is officially the highest rated in the line-up off 101. He also ran better than the bare result suggests last time out when a 1 3/4 lengths fourth in a Listed affair at Ripon over 6f, when holding every chance a furlong from home before being unable to find any extra deep inside the last.
The drop back to the minimum trip looks sure to suit, so Life Of Riley looks to have plenty going for him in this. He thus rates the standout punt among the Ayr betting tips for September 21 on offer.Intense Romance can kiss Sprint Stakes rivals goodbye Intense Romance is right at the top of her game at present, so looks worth a bet to land the other Listed race on the card, the 6f Arran Scottish Fillies’ Sprint Stakes (15:35). This Michael Dods trained filly has a terrific 46 per cent strike rate over the trip (six wins from 13 starts) and proven winning form on the testing forecast ground.
The four-year-old ran well following a break when runner-up at Carlisle and then found only Global Applause, who has since followed up in a Listed contest, 1 3/4 lengths too good in a competitive class 3 handicap at Sandown. Intense Romance then gained a deserved success last time out when landing a class 2 handicap in style at Haydock.
After tracking the leaders travelling powerfully, the daughter of Intense Focus was produced to take up the running at the furlong marker. She then only had to be pushed out to readily beat Mayleaf Shine by 2 3/4 lengths on bottomless ground for a most taking success and career-best effort.
This does represent by far the stiffest task Intense Romance has faced to date. However, she has her optimum conditions and this battle-hardened sort is clearly thriving. So, in what could turn into a slog, she looks well worth a crack at this level and a bet at the odds on offer.Kenny The Captain an each-way bet in Bronze CupThe big betting race is the Ayr Bronze Cup (16:10) and, with a maximum field of 25 set to go to post, Kenny The Captain makes plenty of each-way appeal in the fiendishly hard to solve 6f handicap. The Tim Easterby trained gelding has a good record over course and distance, having won once and been placed three times in six starts over it.
He also has proven winning form in the mud and Kenny The Captain’s last success came 12 months ago on soft ground at Thirsk, where he showed his customary early dash before keeping on strongly to score easily by 2 3/4 lengths off a mark of 73. Although now running off 7lb higher, the seven-year-old remains well-treated off a rating of 80 on the pick of his form having won off 85 in 2016.
Kenny The Captain also comes into the race having posted two cracking efforts which suggest his time was near. After being worn down close home and beaten just half-a-length by Yes You in a 16-runner contest at Thirsk, he then went down all guns blazing when losing by the same narrow margin and second of 18 to Big Lachie at Doncaster eight days ago.
He is clearly right at the top of his game at present and has his optimum conditions at a track which clearly suits. It makes Kenny The Captain a massive player in this and, with many bookmakers offering enhanced place terms, it’s hard to see him not hitting the frame at the very least.Your Next Bet
