Paul Mulrennan: I'm hoping to strike gold with Ayr experiment

I’m fit as a flea, and raring to go for the Western meeting (Virgin Bet Ayr Gold Cup Festival) at Ayr, which is vital with twenty rides booked between Thursday and Saturday. It would be a fantastic to ride a winner or two.

I’d love to win the Virgin Bet Ayr Gold Cup, having won the Bronze Cup (twice), and the Silver Cup (twice). I know that Michael Dods, trainer of Northern Express, will feel the same.

High levels of physical fitness are built up over a prolonged period, but of course it is important to take the opportunity to rest each evening. Staying locally in a good-quality hotel is a major plus, and without having any low weights to make, I’ll be able to enjoy a pleasant evening meal or two.

It is a little bit of an experiment with Northern Express in the feature Virgin Bet Ayr Gold Cup (3.35pm). He has been getting sharper, though, and has seemed to travel a lot better in his last three runs, so we thought we’d give him a go over six furlongs.

He has form at this track (1,2), and the opposition haven’t been going quick enough for him over seven lately. An easy seven at York isn’t that dissimilar to a stiff six (in a cavalry charge) at Ayr. The expectation is that he’ll be finishing off his race strongly, and with some juice in the ground, you do need to be able to stay (almost be a seven-furlong horse) to win an Ayr Gold Cup.

Northern Express is simply a good horse; he’s been fantastic for me, running some superb races this year in an array of competitive handicaps, including the Moet & Chandon (fourth), the Buckingham Palace (third), and the Sky Bet Hambleton (third).

Call Me Ginger (2.25pm - Virgin Bet Ayr Silver Cup) has been in fine fettle and September is usually his time of the year. He won the Portland Handicap at Doncaster last year, but unfortunately things didn’t quite pan out for him (eighth of 22) back there last week. He’d been flying prior to that. though, with wins at Chester and Ascot, and he already has a Bronze Cup win (2021) on his CV.

Northern Express (stall 19), Call Me Ginger (stall 20), and Rock Melody (stall 23) have all been drawn high - close to the stands’ rail - in their respective races. Rock Melody carries top weight from a mark of 79 in the Virgin Bet Ayr Bronze Cup (3.25pm, Friday).

She ran well in a small field (which wouldn’t have suited her) at Musselburgh last weekend, and that should have blown the cobwebs away. A strongly run six furlongs will suit her. She’s ‘a warm-up filly’ who likes to work her way into a race. She appreciates having a strong pace to aim towards. She has won over six (Redcar), and even seven (Wolverhampton), further back in her career.

In addition to Rock Melody in the Bronze Cup, I’m booked for six more rides on Friday.

Lunar Streets (1.15pm) travels from Newmarket to get the ball rolling for Ed Dunlop. She tackles seven furlongs for the first time having finished off nicely when runner-up over six at Carlisle. I haven’t ridden her previously, but she’s clearly on a positive trajectory, so has solid credentials.

Richard Spencer and Phil Cunningham have been kind enough to book me for the rides on Two Tribes (1.45pm) and Sweet Harmony (2.50pm).

Two Tribes wore blinkers for the first time when winning in the Sky Bet Sunday Series at Sandown, before running to an equivalent level from his revised mark at Chelmsford (second). He steps back up in trip here which should be fine. His dam raced over further (7f-1m), and his sire Rajasinghe won the Coventry Stakes in 2017.

Sweet Harmony is lowest rated in the Arran Scottish Sprint Listed Fillies’ Stakes which naturally means that she faces a tough task at the weights. She wore a visor for the first time at Salisbury, and that headgear remains in place here at Ayr.

Kelpie Grey (4.00pm) returns from a three-and-a-half-month absence in Division 1 of the Tennant’s Lager Handicap. He’s yet to win (0-8) but did finish runner-up from a 3lb higher mark over C&D in May. In Division 2, Ayr Poet (4.35pm), probably requires a career best.

I don’t think that Bobby Shaftoe (5.10pm) quite saw out the 2m trip on the rain-softened ground at Musselburgh last Sunday. Dropping back to this shorter trip should help, but overall, perhaps he’s a slightly more effective operator on the AW at Newcastle.

The Scottish tour continues on Sunday and Monday as we move over to Hamilton Park, and then it is back onto Tapeta at Newcastle on Tuesday evening!