Ayr

Named as second choice in the editorial verdict, and he gives you a concrete reason to be interested: he finished 2nd here at Ayr just 15 days ago, so he's clearly fit, in form, and we know he handles this track. The concern is his dry ground record — zero wins from five attempts on this type of surface — which mirrors the conditions he'll face today. With four career wins and cheekpieces fitted, he arrives as a genuine contender.

Five races in and still searching for a first win — the most glaring gap on the racecard when you compare him to rivals with multiple victories. Second-highest rated in the field, which means he's been competitive enough to earn a decent mark, but his form in the last two runs reads 7th and 5th. Hard to make a strong case for him here.

Like several rivals today, Macedonian has never raced on dry ground before — so his record simply tells us nothing about how he'll handle today's conditions. His recent form is a run of single-digit finishes, and he hasn't raced in 40 days. At 13.0 in the market, the bookmakers aren't expecting much.

At ten years old, Golden Valour is by far the most experienced horse in the field with 53 career races — the field average is 21. He carries the lowest weight, which is how the handicapper tries to give older, lower-rated horses a chance, but he's rated 14 pounds below the field average and hasn't raced in over six months. His recent form shows 11th, 11th, and 6th, all in lower-grade races than this.