Swinging the bat at Ayr & Newbury....

Friday, 19th September 2025

Swinging the bat at Ayr & Newbury….

Gold Cup pointers….

In ATC today….

…. I swing the bat in all of Saturday’s big handicap betting heats….

I’m on MILFORD in the 3.35 at Ayr – up at 25s, 22s & 20s….

…. I’m on SILKY WILKIE at 20s, 18s & 16s in the 2.25 at Ayr….

…. I’m on DUKE’S COMMAND at 12s & 11s in the 1.15 at Ayr….

…. and I’m on THEORY OF TIDES at 10s in the 2.40 at Newbury….

That’s the summary….

…. you’ll find all my reasoning below – as per usual….

Oh…. and if you’re looking for the standout place terms on offer – you’ll find them in the Bet Box below….

Read on….

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I totally get the case for Andrew Balding’s Purosangue in tomorrow’s Gold Cup at Ayr (3.35)….

I backed him in last week’s Portland where he ran well again in 6th place….

…. and now first-time cheekpieces are added to the mix in a bad to squeeze that bit more out of the 4yo….

…. and the very much in form Oisin Murphy – who gets on well with the horse – is back in the saddle….

The pair have a good chance from stall 2 on ground that suits – but the price has gone a bit….

…. somebody else has clearly put the horse up overnight and the general 9s is lower than I want to go….

Preference is for MILFORD at 25s, 22s & 20s – trained by Julie Camacho who won this race a couple of years back with Significantly….

I backed the progressive 3yo last time at York and he finished out with the washing….

…. but he was badly knocked about a couple of times in the early stages that day, ended up out the back of the stands side group, and was never able to get into the race….

I can draw a line through that run, and in first-time cheekpieces tomorrow he can prove a more competitive proposition than his price suggests….

I like the piece of form the time before at Ascot where the upwardly mobile Prince Of India denied him late on – with Flash Harry well beaten off in third….

That last one reopposes tomorrow – having won since – on worse terms and at half of Milford’s price….

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SILKY WILKIE at 20s, 18s & 16s is the bet for the Silver Cup (2.25)….

Last term he was 2nd in the Gold Cup – behind Lethal Levi – off a mark of 95 (albeit in a first-time visor)….

This time around he’s down the weights for this off a mark of just 86 – and if he’s on-song tomorrow then he surely has a big chance….

Of course, he’s dropped down the rankings on the back of some sub-par performances – some in Meydan over the winter and others in the early part of the British turf season….

He was given a long break after being beaten at Newmarket in May….

…. and his first run back at York a fortnight ago was promising enough – and I’d expect him to come on for it….

He’s on a really nice mark at a track he goes well on – and given how he’s tumbled down the rankings, this meeting has surely been the target….

Unless there’s a really heavy downpour (not forecast) I see Karl Burke’s charge running a big one from stall 1….

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Earlier on the card at Ayr I’m backing DUKE’S COMMAND at 12s & 11s in the Ladbrokes “Free Bet At Ayr” Handicap (1.15)….

While stall 14 doesn’t look very promising on the face of it, I’m not concerned because the 4yo likes to be dropped out and he’ll just slot in under Mark Winn and look to power home late up the straight….

…. just as he did at Haydock a fortnight back – hitting the line full of running and winning comfortably for David O’Meara….

That was just a C4 but the time before he’d shown he can handle life in deeper waters when finishing 6th in the Clipper at York’s Ebor meeting….

He was 80/1 that day but finished off as well as anything having been back at the rear in a race where it paid to be handy….

He was only beaten a closing 2-lengths at the line and if they’d gone harder earlier then he might well have come over the top of the front-rank horses at the death….

He’s interesting at the price….

The general 10s is a nice price about John Gosden’s THEORY OF TIDES for the Dubai Duty Free Handicap at Newbury (2.40)….

He was gelded after a couple of poor efforts in the later stages of the last campaign….

… but looked a totally different proposition at York earlier in the month on his first go for almost a year….

He caught the eye making up loads of ground from the rear in the straight and he got himself into the finishing mix….

The lack of a run might just have told in the very late stages – but he’ll strip fitter for the outing and he’s a player off 91 tomorrow if building on that promising groundwork….

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Now, just to recap….

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That’s all for today….

I’ll be back with more next week….

Meantime – contact me at – nick.pullen@spapublishinggroup.co.uk

And remember – win, lose or draw – enjoy the racing….

Stay tuned….

Against the Crowd