Far too hopeful for Gold

THE financial problems which are taxing the management of Ayr Racecourse will be put firmly into the shade over the next couple of weeks as the track builds up to staging its most famous race, the Tote Ayr Gold Cup, still Europe's richest sprint handicap ahead of the likes of the Wokingham and the Stewards' Cup and a prize coveted by racing people the length and breadth of the British Isles.

The subsequent achievements of the two most recent winners of the Gold Cup, Continent and Bahamian Pirate, in finishing first and second in this year's Group One July Cup at Newmarket, have ensured that the race's prestige has been maintained and possibly even heightened.

The trainer of both of those horses is, and was, David Nicholls, and the Thirsk-based sprint specialist has employed his scatter-gun approach once again with 18 horses entered.

It has to be said, though, that only five of those could be considered to have serious prospects of going for gold, namely Funfair Wane, Scotty's Future, Extinguisher, In Space and Hurricane Floyd.

This year's entry for a maximum 29-runner field numbers 173, a figure which only tells us that seven fewer owners than last year considered it to be entirely futile in entering their ridiculously lowly-rated animals, some of Linda Perratt's owners in particular, clearly believing that some kind of plague might obliterate the higher rated horses and allow them a run.

Of Perratt's nine entries this year, only Ptarmigan Ridge (75th) and Ho Leng (85th) have the faintest chances of scraping a run in the consolation Silver Cup, her other seven speedsters certain to have their entry fees refunded, with five of those lurking in the bottom 20 in the handicap.

Perratt isn't alone in this sphere as the much-lauded Nicholls will find that eight of his 18 entries would need a Bronze Cup and a Copper Cup to be instigated to ensure a run on the day, while a glance at the entries from the other Scottish yards suggests that Jim Goldie's most likely runners from seven hopefuls are Indian Spark and Albashoosh, with only Judicious meriting consideration from Ian Semple's quartet.

An early shortlist? Suggestive, Funfair Wane, Good Girl, Halmahera and Torosay Spring. Watch that weather, though.

FIVE years on since his return to Scotland for a second crack at training after an eight-year stint with John Gosden, Ian Semple's season continues to go from strength to strength.

Despite failing to hit the mark with any of his four runners at rain-lashed Ayr on Friday, the Carluke handler continues to lead the race for the unofficial Scottish Flat Trainers' title with (pounds) 195,507 won so far by 26 winners, 18 seconds and 17 thirds, his winners' tally seven more than last season's personal best.

Having passed his pre-season target of 25 already, Semple is now looking to top 30 for the first time by the end of the year. His Epsom scorer, Chookie Heiton, has been roughed off for the season having been injured at Ascot but his winning juvenile, Sandgate Cygnet, goes to Hamilton tomorrow and probably his best known horse, Kelburne, is being trained for a Group Three race at Doncaster's St Leger meeting next week.

With the Doncaster St Leger yearling sales imminent, anyone who reckons Semple has finally proved himself with other trainers' cast- offs might consider getting in touch with an order for a juvenile for next season.

They'd be made to feel very welcome.

HAMILTON PARK will hold its penultimate meeting of 2002 tomorrow and there's a chance for Sunday Herald readers to take advantage of our 2 for 1 admission to the grandstand, a saving of (pounds) 10, by presenting the coupon published below or the one published in last week's paper.

With the (pounds) 14,000 intellibet Scottish Trophy over a mile, a (pounds) 12,000 claiming race and two other events each worth (pounds) 8,000, the meeting provides the best fare of the day by far and it's expected that Kieren Fallon, Kevin Darley, Keith Dalgleish and George Duffield will all be riding at the Lanarkshire venue.

Two young apprentices to keep an eye on here are Natalia Gemelova, who rides Great News in the big race at 3.50 and Liam Keniry who's jocked up on Marakabei in the 4.50. Gemelova is gradually showing a riding talent to match her looks and Keniry is one of the coolest heads around.

Lee Enstone and Wilson Renwick can also be relied upon to show that there are plenty more set to emulate the likes of Dalgleish, Paul Hanagan and Chris Catlin over the next couple of years. Enjoy the day.

IHAVE to confess that trainer Tim Easterby's continued belief that his star colt Bollin Eric's best trip might be a mile-and-a quarter is a bit of a blow to my confidence about the colt's chances of landing Saturday week's St Leger.

Undaunted, however, I have invested at 10/1 and remain hopeful that my own opinion that the colt is crying out for the Leger trip of nearly a mile-and-seven furlongs shall be proved correct, providing, of course, that Town Moor does not come up fast. His round action suggests a cut in the ground will improve him 10lbs.

By the Derby winner Shaamit out of an Alzao mare which has previously thrown a sprinter and a miler, Bollin Eric has already proved he stays a mile-and-a-half at York and if anything, you could argue that he would have won the Great Voltigeur in another five strides.

I'm convinced he'll beat his York conqueror Bandari and with Kazzia unlikely to run, Aidan O'Brien's Sholokhov and Sir Michael Stoute's First Charter look the likeliest dangers, unless of course something unexpected is supplemented on Saturday at a cost of (pounds) 25,000.

Can't see it myself. Keep the faith.

Copyright 2002
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