ITV Racing Tips: Thrilling Ayr Gold Cup is centre stage on Saturday

Cracking racing as per on Saturday, with the ITV cameras taking the first five from Ayr, climaxing in the historic 6f Ayr Gold Cup. There's also four from Newbury, embracing a couple of fascinating Group contests including the Mill Reef, again over 6f.

The action kicks in at 13:15, and if you're playing, enjoy. Above all - have fun. Here's our ITV Racing tips.

Horse Racing Odds

Fast Racing Results

Full ITV schedule;

13.15 Ayr - 1m Handicap
13.50 Ayr - 1m 2f Doonside Cup (Listed)
14.25 Ayr - 6f Ayr Silver Cup
15.00 Ayr - 6f Firth of Clyde Stakes (Group 3)
15.35 Ayr - 6f Ayr Gold Cup

13.30 Newbury - 5f Stakes (Group 3)
14.05 Newbury - 1m 5f Autumn Cup
14.40 Newbury - 1m 2f Handicap
15.15 Newbury - 6f Mill Reef Stakes (Group 2)

Rationale;

13.15 Ayr - Thunder Roar each-way @ 8/1 (4 places e/w)

Quality handicap over a mile to start our day, and I'm taking advantage of the four places each-way.

Thunder Roar is a previous scorer here and is a six-year-old Night Of Thunder gelding with four wins from 26 starts all told. His last success was nearly 12 months ago at Redcar off a mark of 86, and he lines up off 93 this afternoon but has flown previously as high as 95.

The handicapper has arguably had the upper hand then of late, but he was certainly running on with purpose last time at Ascot over possibly an inadequate 7f. The predicted good-to-soft conditions are also seen as a plus, as he's both won and run well with cut in the ground.

Tony Coyle & Kaine Wood train this one in North Yorkshire and David Nolan, who rides many of the yard's runners, sits on him for the first time on a racecourse. Sound e/w prospects.

13.30 Newbury - Rumstar @ 3/1

Daft comment alert - Jonathan Portman's five-year-old Havana Grey gelding really does have plenty going for him in this G3 contest, over 5f.

Rumstar brings genuine, tip-top G1 form to the party having run Nunthorpe heroine Asfoora in a very powerful field to 2.5l at York 29 days ago - and has won more than one race previously at this level, including two in the last four months.

Rob Hornby is again in the plate, for a seventh successive time, and quite frankly it's his to lose in my book. He's a 5f specialist that gets 6f, no bad thing with potential testing ground in prospect, and talking of same he's won on soft in the past.

Granted luck in running he's the one they've all got to beat in my book and rates the Nap on the card.

13.50 Ayr - Almeric @ 13/8

Listed fare now - and the red-hot Oisin Murphy, converting 38% of his rides in the last 14 days into winners. He had a fabulous Doncaster during the Betfred St Leger Festival and he's continuing in that sensational vein of form.

Almeric is trained by long-time Murphy supporter Andrew Balding, and is a three-year-old Study Of Man colt out of a Selkirk mare - a useful performer in her own right and a Listed scorer (Alvarita).

I recall Selkirk didn't mind getting his toe in and Almeric has already won on both soft and good-to-soft in his meteoric, mere three-race career thus far. His sire won the French Derby on soft - I can see connections welcoming every drop of rain that might fall between now and race time.

Almeric has got what might be a slightly ambitious entry into Ascot's G1 Champion Stakes next month but there's every indication that this is a very serious racehorse.

He took down a Listed heat when last seen in April and though there presumably have been issues given his absence since (158 days), I'm sure the Balding team will have him ready to do himself justice.

Might just be different gravy to today's rivals - can't wait to find out.

14.05 Newbury - Beylerbeyi @ 6/1

Alvechurch trainer Ian Williams enters his in-form five-year-old Invincible Spirit gelding, having gone very close at Donny last week at just in excess of this 1m 5+f trip.

Beylerbeyi has won three of his last six and is up to a career-high mark of 94 this afternoon. Plenty needed then if he's to register in Berkshire, but he's in such great nick that he's got to be one of the more likely types, chasing this splendid purse of around £38k.

He's got a super eight-from-37 career record, including a further eight placed efforts, and if it's to be good-to-soft, going-wise, it's the same as that encountered in South Yorkshire the other day.

One of the afternoon's trickier puzzles, and on reflection an each-way dabble (we're paying four places) might be the way to go.

14.25 Ayr - Candy each-way @ 12/1 (5 places e/w)

Silver Cup time; a consolation for those who just missed out on a spot in the big one at 15:35.

I'm making full use of the five places e/w and tipping up Newmarket trainer Richard Spencer's Candy. The three-year-old Ardad colt looked back to somewhere near his best at Ascot a fortnight ago when beaten 3.5l in a similar heat, and lines up off the same mark today, 92.

He was rated as high as 99 in the spring and got to within around 4l of recent G1 winner Big Mojo back in April, at level weights. Mick Appleby's stable star is now rated 117.

Candy has won previously here over the trip and will welcome any 'soft' references in the going description. Regular pilot George Wood has the riding assignment.

14.40 Newbury - Night Step @ 11/2

This one's no less tricky than most on Newbury's fabulous card; a 10f Class 2 handicap.

Our selection Night Step is a three-year-old Showcasing gelding out of a Dansili mare, with two wins from seven starts so far. Last time out on this very track 35 days ago he didn't enjoy the smoothest of passages late on and was 3.5l down at the line in a Class 3.

With better luck he could easily have been much closer and as he's very much on the upgrade I fully understand connections having a tilt at this near-£40k prize.

Sean D Bowen rides, for the first time, and Owen Burrows trains, for the Rooneys.

15.00 Ayr - Catching The Moon @ 8/1

G3 sprinters go 6f as Ayr run three cracking 'dashes' at the trip in succession.

Babies though this time - two-year-old fillies at the foothills of their careers but plenty with any amount of potential. One such I hope is Richard Fahey's Catching The Moon, a daughter of American sire No Nay Never.

Two runs thus far - a narrow defeat at Leicester in July, and the following month a step up in winning a Beverley novice at 5f with authority. Such is the stiff nature of that beautiful Yorkshire track any outing at the minimum is worth at least the equivalent of 5.5f anywhere else, and indeed she debuted over 6f in the Midlands and got every yard readily.

This is a massive hike in class but her trainer is out of the very top drawer and I'm really looking forward to seeing her run. Stable jockey Oisin Orr, who rode her at Beverley, is on top.

15.15 Newbury - Words Of Truth @ 9/4

Two-year-olds line up for the 6f G2 Mill Reef Stakes, this year not only commemorating the mighty racehorse who won the Derby and the Arc, but his brilliant jockey Geoff Lewis too, who passed away recently.

Selection-wise I'm making the short trip down the well-worn path of least resistance and nominating an inmate from Moulton Paddocks - home to Charlie Appleby, and many thoroughbreds who race in the blue of Godolphin.

Words Of Truth has run on three occasions, showing progressive form, and indeed winning his last two starts. Ascot and Newmarket, too - proper Grade 1 tracks, and performances of substance.

It was only a maiden, then a novice, but the yard are past masters at developing their youngsters and I'm imagining they'd have had quite a few to chose from for an assignment of this stature.

Words Of Truth is a gelded son of Lope De Vega, himself a high-class two-year-old and subsequent French Guineas and Derby hero, and it's fascinating to dream at this point about what some of these juveniles might just go on to achieve in their careers.

Lots of clues will present themselves on Saturday afternoon.

15.35 Ayr - Flash Harry each-way @ 12/1 (6 places e/w)

So to the Ayr Gold Cup, and for fans of a certain vintage memories of the likes of Lochsong, Roman Warrior, Be Friendly, and in more recent years the magnificent old hero Summerghand.

We're paying six places - you know the rest - and our selection is a three-year-old gelded son of the speedy G1 superstar Harry Angel; the beautifully-named Flash Harry.

He's only had five races in his life - the best of which, rather significantly, was last time 27 days ago at Goodwood. He took a race at this level and trip by 1.5l fairly convincingly off a mark of 95, and must defy a 5lb hike this afternoon.

Flash Harry has shown us he's smart, but what I'm hoping for too is that, being so lightly-raced, he's got bags of improvement to come. His sire didn't mind some give underfoot if that's indeed what's in store, so if he can handle the occasion he's got a very bright chance for me of getting among the places.

His trainer Clive Cox is a master, full stop, and to combat that rise he's booked tidy 5lb claimer Jack Nicholls to do the steering.

ITV Racing Tips from Betfred Insights.