Horse Racing - National Hunt Courses - Ayr

The most westerly course in Great Britain, Ayr stages racing all year round but has two very clear highlights. On the flat it is the three-day Western meeting in the second half of September, where the big race is the six-furlong Ayr Gold Cup, one of the most historic sprint handicaps in Europe and one that has been won by top sprinters Roman Warrior, Lochsong and Coastal Bluff.



Over jumps the feature meeting is the two-day Scottish Grand National fixture in mid-April. Generally run a week after Aintree in recent years, only Red Rum has competed the Aintree-Ayr double in the same season though Little Polvier and Earth Summit are others to have won both races in separate seasons.

Characteristics

Left-handed circuit of one and a half miles comprising nine fences, with well-graduated turns. There is a steady downhill run to the home turn and a gentle rise to the finish. There is a run-in of 210 yards. When the going is firm the course is sharp, but conditions regularly get extremely gruelling, making for a thorough test.

Left handed
Galloping
Flat

Doncaster
Worcester
Nottingham