Mr Lupton heads Ayr Gold Cup field after Irish win

Keith Hamer
September 17, 2020 12:19 pm

Sprinter is back out quickly.

Ante-post favourite Mr Lupton is among a maximum field of 25 declared for the QTS Ayr Gold Cup on Saturday.

Richard Fahey’s well-seasoned sprinter showed his well being when taking a 22-runner handicap at the Curragh last weekend. He will race from stall 11.

Stone Of Destiny (drawn 19), winner of last week’s Portland Handicap at Doncaster, bids to complete a big sprint double for Andrew Balding that was achieved by his father Ian with Lochsong in 1992.

David O’Meara has four runners, headed by top-weight Gulliver (20). Young Fire (4), Cold Stare (21) and Arecibo (25) while Major Jumbo (16), Hey Jonesy (8) and Bielsa (22) make up Kevin Ryan’s three-strong team.

Staxton (15), trained by Tim Easterby, made the cut thanks to a 5lb penalty for winning the Great St Wilfrid Handicap at Ripon.

Richard Hannon’s Lexington Dash (1) was the last of the 25 to get in.

Group One winner Addeybb is set to face six rivals in the Jordan Electrics Doonside Cup.

The William Haggas-trained gelding won twice at the top level in Australia earlier in the year and was second to Lord North in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot in June.

The six-year-old drops back into Listed company for the first time since the Royal meeting in 2019 and has a 7lb penalty to concede.

Lord Glitters, trained by David O’Meara, is the other Group One scorer in the field, having lifted the Queen Anne Stakes last season while Fox Chairman and San Donato have form at Group level.

Rose Of Kildare gave Mark Johnston his first Scotty Brand Firth Of Clyde Fillies’ Stakes success 12 months ago and the Middleham trainer relies on Perfect Times this time.

A competitive field of 15 includes Umm Kulthum, She’s So Nice and Scarlet Bear, who were third, fourth and fifth respectively in the Group Two Lowther Stakes at York.

Scarlet Bear has since finished third in the Group Three Dick Poole Stakes at Salisbury earlier this month when Illykato was fourth.

Fozzy Stack’s Sloane Peterson is the sole Irish raider.