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2026 Ayr Gold Cup Preview
The Ayr Gold Cup has plenty of history, with the inaugural running in 1804, staged over six furlongs and open to three-year-olds and upwards, and it usually follows on a week or so after the six-furlong Portland Handicap at Doncaster's St Leger meeting.
There is a consolation race for those who do not make it into the Gold Cup; the Ayr Silver Cup is run on the day, whilst on the day prior, there is also the Ayr Bronze Cup for those who don't even make it into the Silver Cup!
Funfair Wane won the Ayr Gold Cup in 2002 and 2004, but to find the last back-to-back winner, we have to go back to Heronslea in 1930-31. The 2018 renewal saw the first dead heat in its history with Baron Bolt and Son Of Rest sharing the spoils, whilst the 2017 renewal was staged at Haydock due to the track at Ayr being waterlogged.
Ayr Gold Cup Information:
To see which runners the OLBG racing tipsters are tipping throughout the card that includes this race, head over to the Ayr tips on the day of the race. Do they agree with the runners on the trend shortlist, or are they predicting other runners? You may also be interested in other preview blogs that we have packed full of information. Head down to the Other Principal Races at Ayr Racecourse section for links to these.
Best Horse Racing Betting Sites 2025
How competitive is the Ayr Gold Cup market? When looking at the over-rounds for the last 20 renewals, the most competitive market was in 2006 when the race had an over-round of 122%. The race in 2025 was a race that was most in the bookie's favour with an over-round of 147%, whilst on average over the last 20 renewals of the Ayr Gold Cup, the over-round has been 138%, which means the bookie expects to pay out £100 for every £138 which is bet.
Below you will find the 2026 Ayr Gold Cup Trends. See which patterns have occurred over the recent renewals that you may be able to use for the next renewal. We also have a section that looks at the Ayr Gold Cup Trend Analysis.
These are the top three quickest-run Ayr Gold Cup races over the last 20 renewals:
- Lethal Levi (1:07.75) in 2024
- Angel Alexander (1:09.26) in 2019
- Louis The Pious (1:09.53) in 2014
Looking at the future form, is the winner worth following next time out? Over the past 20 renewals, if you had followed the winner of the Ayr Gold Cup next time out, then you would have backed a total of 2 winners. Backing all 20 runners who have been out since their win at SP next time out would have returned an LSP of -9.50. Before placing your bet on the 2026 Ayr Gold Cup, see which other runners today are being backed on the racing predictions page.
Over the last 20 renewals, it was Lethal Levi, trained by K R Burke and ridden by Clifford Lee, who set the fastest winning time in the Ayr Gold Cup. That runner won the race in a time of 1:07.75 in 2024. At the other end of the scale, it was the combination of trainer Andrew Balding and jockey P J McDonald with Donjuan Triumphant who set the slowest winning time; the race-winning time was 1:17.10 in the 2017 renewal.
Ayr Gold Cup Past Winners
Here are the Ayr Gold Cup past winners for the last 10 renewals. Each row details the year of the race, the horse which won, along with the age & weight of the horse. Also detailed is the stall where the horse came from and the total number of runners in the race. The horse's trainer and the jockey at the time of winning the Ayr Gold Cup are also displayed, along with the starting price at which the horse was sent off.
| Year | Horse (Drawn) | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 1:12.52 | Run Boy Run (GB) 4yo 9-2 (6 of 25) 12/1 | George Wood Richard Spencer (GB) |
| 2024 1:07.75 | Lethal Levi (GB) 5yo 9-7 (20 of 25) 20/1 | Clifford Lee K R Burke (GB) |
| 2023 1:10.77 | Significantly (GB) 5yo 9-2 (14 of 24) 8/1F | Joe Fanning Julie Camacho (GB) |
| 2022 1:10.82 | Summerghand (IRE) 8yo 9-5 (12 of 24) 12/1 | Daniel Tudhope David O'Meara (GB) |
| 2021 1:10.03 | Bielsa (IRE) 6yo 9-1 (25 of 24) 15/2 | Kevin Stott Kevin Ryan (GB) |
| 2020 1:11.65 | Nahaarr (IRE) 4yo 9-5 (13 of 24) 7/2F | Tom Marquand William Haggas (GB) |
| 2019 1:09.26 | Angel Alexander (IRE) 3yo 8-13 (24 of 24) 28/1 | Richard Kingscote Tom Dascombe (GB) |
| 2018 1:14.77 | Son Of Rest (GB) 4yo 9-3 (17 of 25) 5/1F | Chris Hayes J A Stack (IRE) |
| 2018 1:14.77 | Baron Bolt (GB) 5yo 8-12 (21 of 25) 28/1 | Cameron Noble (5lbs) Paul Cole (GB) |
| 2017 1:17.10 | Donjuan Triumphant (IRE) 4yo 9-10 (4 of 17) 13/2 | P J McDonald Andrew Balding (GB) |
Where have the winning runners come from?
Here are the countries where the winning trainers of the Ayr Gold Cup have been based:
- GB: 20 winners with an additional 57 placings from 481 runners
- IRE: 1 winner with an additional 2 placings from 12 runners
- AUS: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 1 runner
- FR: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 1 runner
2025 Ayr Gold Cup Replay
Ayr Gold Cup Trainer Statistics
The leading trainer in the Ayr Gold Cup over the last 20 renewals is Kevin Ryan, who has won the race five times, with those five winners coming from Advanced (2007), Our Jonathan (2011), Captain Ramius (2012), Brando (2016) and Bielsa (2021). Other trainers who have recorded multiple wins in the Ayr Gold Cup are Richard Fahey (2 wins), David O'Meara (2 wins) and Andrew Balding (2 wins). Multiple trainers have not had the best of times over the last 20 renewals in the Ayr Gold Cup. David Barron (0-20), Michael Dods (0-20) and Jim Goldie (0-19) have all failed to produce a single winner despite sending multiple runners to the race.
Here are some of the top Ayr Gold Cup trainer statistics over the last 20 renewals (R = Runners, W = Winners, P = Places including winners, Win LSP is based on 1pt Win and EW LSP is based on 0.5pt Win & 0.5pt Place):
| Trainer | R-W-P | Win | EW |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kevin Ryan | 61-5-8 | +9.50 | -4.54 |
| Richard Fahey | 54-2-11 | -30.00 | -15.99 |
| David O'Meara | 28-2-5 | -4.00 | -5.24 |
| Andrew Balding | 14-2-3 | +14.50 | +5.69 |
| K R Burke | 11-1-4 | +10.00 | +18.25 |
| Clive Cox | 10-1-1 | +5.00 | -0.25 |
| William Haggas | 6-1-2 | -1.50 | -0.31 |
| Tom Dascombe | 5-1-1 | +24.00 | +13.50 |
| Richard Spencer | 4-1-2 | +9.00 | +7.25 |
| Julie Camacho | 4-1-2 | +5.00 | +3.50 |
Ayr Gold Cup Jockey Statistics
The leading jockey in the Ayr Gold Cup over the last 20 renewals is Frankie Dettori, who has won the race twice, with those two winners coming from Jimmy Styles (2009) and Redford (2010). Two jockeys have not had the best of times over the last 20 renewals in the Ayr Gold Cup. Paul Mulrennan has ridden 13 runners in the race without recording any wins, whilst David Allan has ridden 11 without a winner.
Here are some of the top Ayr Gold Cup jockey statistics over the last 20 renewals (R = Runners, W = Winners, P = Places, including winners, Win LSP is based on 1pt Win and EW LSP is based on 0.5pt Win & 0.5pt Place):
| Jockey | R-W-P | Win | EW |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frankie Dettori | 4-2-2 | +26.00 | +15.50 |
| Daniel Tudhope | 17-1-2 | -4.00 | -4.87 |
| Tom Eaves | 16-1-2 | -4.00 | -5.12 |
| P J McDonald | 9-1-2 | -1.50 | -1.19 |
| Tony Hamilton | 9-1-3 | -2.00 | +2.25 |
| Kevin Stott | 7-1-1 | +1.50 | -1.31 |
| Richard Kingscote | 6-1-2 | +23.00 | +13.37 |
| Joe Fanning | 6-1-1 | +3.00 | +0.00 |
| Franny Norton | 5-1-1 | +7.00 | +2.88 |
| Oisin Murphy | 4-1-2 | +17.00 | +10.63 |
2026 Ayr Gold Cup Trends
Favourites finishing positions (oldest to latest): 13, 19, 13, 4, 5, 2, 3, 23, 3, 1, 2, 12, 1, 17, 1, 2, 20, (1, 11), 16, 4
The percentage shown is the percentage of the total number of runners who fell under that factor. High percentages are less appealing than lower ones, as you would expect them to do well.
- 21 / 21 (69%) - No bigger than 28/1
- 21 / 21 (76%) - Achieved a TS of 87+ (Season)
- 21 / 21 (77%) - Achieved a TS of 60+ (LTO)
- 21 / 21 (82%) - Ran in 4 - 10 races (Season)
- 21 / 21 (82%) - Achieved an RPR of 102+ (Class)
- 21 / 21 (82%) - Achieved a TS of 77+ (Last 3)
- 21 / 21 (83%) - Ran in 2 - 8 races (180 Days)
- 21 / 21 (83%) - Within the first 19 of the market
- 21 / 21 (85%) - Achieved an RPR of 102+ (Hcps)
- 21 / 21 (85%) - Achieved a TS of 88+ (Hcps)
- 21 / 21 (85%) - Not in a G1-2/LST/Cl5 (Last Win)
- 21 / 21 (86%) - Not in a G3/Cl2-3/Cl6-7 (Debut)
- 21 / 21 (87%) - Ran in 1 - 5 races (90 Days)
- 21 / 21 (87%) - Off a break of 6 - 50 days
- 21 / 21 (88%) - Ran in 4 - 13 races (1 Year)
Remember to use the trends listed above, along with the Ayr racing predictions, to see if you can find the winner of the Ayr Gold Cup. Did you know that we have an OLBG Betting School section on OLBG? It is a place to help you improve your betting experience with articles covering numerous topics.
Are you already a member? If not, then why not? With over £6,000 given away each month in the tipster competition, why not get involved? Remember, it is completely FREE! So, head over to the registration page to sign up today! If you are already a member, then share your thoughts on the Ayr Gold Cup by adding a tip on the race here.
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Ayr Gold Cup Trend Analysis
✅ The trend factor, which has produced 10+ winners and shows the best LSP, an LSP of +10.50, is when the runner's last place was 1 start ago.
❌ The worst performing factor that has failed to produce a single winner is when runners had 5 career wins in Flat (Turf) races, when backing these, the trend shows a record of 0-68.
Here are the most recent winning draws, along with the further placings in brackets:
- 2025: Winner in 6 (5,14,2) [25 Runners]
- 2024: Winner in 20 (19,24,13) [25 Runners]
- 2023: Winner in 14 (12,8,13) [24 Runners]
- 2022: Winner in 12 (9,18,13) [24 Runners]
- 2021: Winner in 25 (1,16,15) [24 Runners]
The course which has produced the most winners of the Ayr Gold Cup is Goodwood; there have been a total of 4 winners of this race who ran at Goodwood last time out. The next best courses, which have produced the second most winners, are Doncaster, Haydock and Ripon; there have been a total of 3 winners from each of those courses.
The race is open to both sexes, with the Male runners having produced a total of 21 winners from a total of 475 runners, whilst the Female runners have produced 0 winners from a total of 20 runners.
Looking over the past renewals, these are the stallions whose offspring have produced multiple winners of the Ayr Gold Cup:
- Pivotal (3 Wins)
- Dark Angel (2 Wins)
- Invincible Spirit (2 Wins)
- Kheleyf (2 Wins)
These are the stallions whose offspring have not produced a winner of the Ayr Gold Cup despite multiple attempts:
- Oasis Dream (0 Wins from 17 runners)
- Acclamation (0 Wins from 15 runners)
- Indian Ridge (0 Wins from 9 runners)
- Clodovil (0 Wins from 8 runners)
- Kodiac (0 Wins from 8 runners)
Looking at the winning odds over the last 20 renewals, the biggest-priced winner was Baron Bolt in 2018, winning for Paul Cole at odds of 28/1 under the guidance of Cameron Noble. Looking at the runners at the head of the market over the last 20 renewals, there have been 4 winning favourites in the race. Remember to use the best racing tipsters along with the information on this page to find a bet on the 2026 Ayr Gold Cup.
Route to the Ayr Gold Cup
Many trainers will target races to use as prep races before coming to the Ayr Gold Cup. These are the races which the recent winners ran in before coming here:
| Info | Last Race |
|---|---|
| 2025 - Run Boy Run Doncaster - 4th of 21 (13/2) | Portland Heritage Handicap |
| 2024 - Lethal Levi Newbury - 1st of 11 (15/2) | TPT Fire Handicap |
| 2023 - Significantly Doncaster - 2nd of 22 (12/1) | Portland Heritage Handicap |
| 2022 - Summerghand Newmarket (July) - 5th of 9 (9/2) | Jenningsbet Hopeful Stakes |
| 2021 - Bielsa Goodwood - 6th of 24 (9/1) | Stewards Cup |
| 2020 - Nahaarr Goodwood - 9th of 27 (3/1) | Stewards Cup |
| 2019 - Angel Alexander Chester - 3rd of 11 (7/2) | ESL Group Handicap |
| 2018 - Son Of Rest Curragh - 2nd of 9 (23/1) | Flying Five Stakes |
| 2018 - Baron Bolt Goodwood - 1st of 12 (8/1) | Chelsea Barracks Handicap |
| 2017 - Donjuan Triumphant Haydock - 1st of 6 (4/1) | 32Red.com EBF Stallions Conditions Stakes |
Article Contributor Information
We are blessed with an excellent team of specialists and experts at OLBG. Contributing to creating and maintaining this Ayr Gold Cup Preview are Andy and James. They both work on the Horse racing tips team, looking after the tipsters and managing the tips settlement, whilst also creating and managing all of the horse racing event previews for Flat Racing.
James Banting
Expert Guide
Andy Powell
Expert Guide
