The second day of the William Hill Ayr Gold Cup Festival features two Listed contests, the Harry Rosebery Stakes (5f) and the Arran Scottish Fillies’ Sprint Stakes (5½f).
Twelve runners will contest the Harry Rosebery Stakes including the Joseph O’Brien-trained Lady Penelope, a daughter of Night Of Thunder who has progressed with each run and was victorious in a fillies’ maiden at Down Royal last month.
Among her opponents are the Michael O’Callaghan-trained Isabeau and the Kevin Ryan duo Queen’s Order and She Can Dance, both of whom are owned by Steve Parkin’s Clipper Logistics.
Parkin also has three runners in the Arran Scottish Fillies’ Sprint Stakes, Inspired Thought (Archie Watson), Lady In France (Karl Burke) and Last Empire (Kevin Ryan). Out of the three it is Last Empire who catches the eye, as the daughter of Pivotal is unbeaten in three starts this year.
Newbury’s Dubai Duty Free meeting gets underway today with an eight-race card that includes the Listed Dubai Duty Free Cup Stakes (7f). The field includes Oakgrove Stud homebred Makzeem and Shadwell homebred Tabarrak, who is looking to get his nose in front having finished second on his two most recent outings.
The 6f maiden at 1.50pm will see the debut of Bruisa, a half-sister to 1,000 Guineas heroine Billesdon Brook and the Listed winner Billesdon Bess. The daughter of Sepoy will carry the colours of the Pall Mall Partners and Jeanette McCreery.
Racing also takes place at Newcastle (aw), Newton Abbot (jumps) and Dundalk (aw) in Ireland.
Circus Maximus keeps Prix du Moulin
Connections of Romanised failed in their bid to change the result of the Group 1 Prix du Moulin when a panel of three stewards upheld the result in Paris on Thursday.
They argued that Romanised had been taken off his line by Circus Maximus, who had begun to drift out in the final furlong, and received a bump from Aidan O’Brien’s three-year-old close to home.
The appeal panel upheld the original decision for the Circus Maximus to keep the race.
Surprising Soul makes all to take Lonesome Glory at Belmont
An enterprising ride from American-based Irish jockey Ross Geraghty saw him make all on the Richard Hendriks-trained Surprising Soul in the Grade 1 Lonesome Glory Handicap (Hurdle) at Belmont on Thursday.
Having jumped the last hurdle in the lead, Surprising Soul never looked like he was going to be caught. In the end, the pair finished clear of Hinterland with All The Way Jose in third.
