Sporting Life
William Haggas, Richard Hughes and Roger Varian: Ayr raiders
William Haggas, Richard Hughes and Roger Varian: Ayr raiders

Three trainers to note at Ayr’s Ladbrokes Ayr Gold Cup Festival

By Ben Linfoot
Horse Racing
Sat September 20, 2025 · 3M ago

We pick out three trainers whose selective approach to the Ladbrokes Ayr Gold Cup Festival is paying dividends.

When it comes to the number of winners at the Ladbrokes Ayr Gold Cup Festival, northern trainers Richard Fahey, Tim Easterby and David O’Meara lead the way.

In the last decade*, Fahey is leading trainer at the meeting with 19 winners, with Easterby and O’Meara not far behind. All three will be well represented this week and all three will likely be amongst the winners.

But with plenty of prizemoney on offer across the three days Ayr attracts trainers from far and wide. And with long travel involved for most, it could be worth keeping an eye on the big guns that take a more selective approach to the week…

*Below stats all last 10 years at Ayr Gold Cup Festival.

William Haggas

  • 6 wins from 18 at 33.33% +£11.60 to £1 at SP
  • Friday entries; Magic Box
  • Saturday entries; Caviar Heights, Binhareer

No surprises that William Haggas has a good strike-rate up at Ayr; he seems to have a good strike-rate wherever he goes.

I was slightly surprised that he has won the Ayr Gold Cup itself only once, with Nahaarr in 2020, and despite having a strong antepost hand with Almeraq this time around he’s been left without a runner.

Binhareer looks likely to end up in the Silver Cup and he’ll be a huge player with a course and distance win under his belt, while new recruit Caviar Heights looks better than ever for his new yard and will be worthy of consideration in the Doonside Cup.

More immediately, Aeolian and Golden Handshake will bid for a day one Royal double under Tom Marquand.

Richard Hughes

  • 2 wins from 4 at 50% +£11.25 to £1 at SP
  • Friday Entries; Pretty Danielle, Our Cody, Star Of Mehmas
  • Saturday; Sudden Flight, Rare Change, Mood Queen, Nobody Knows, Sheikh Raj

It’s already been a wonderful season for Richard Hughes with his No Half Measures winning the Group 1 July Cup and that has helped him to comfortably his best-ever total prizemoney-wise.

He needs another 19 winners for this to be numerically his best year yet and he’ll be hoping to strike again at Ayr’s Western meeting where he has a 50% strike-rate from four runners, Star Of Mehmas winning for him last year in the Listed Harry Rosebery Stakes.

She’s back for more in the Listed Arran Scottish Sprint EBF Fillies' Stakes under Billy Loughnane on Friday, on a day where stablemates Pretty Danielle (nursery) and Our Cody (this year’s Harry Rosebery) will join her on the track.

On Saturday Mood Queen could run in the Group 3 Firth Of Clyde on the back of a good fifth in the Sky Bet Lowther Stakes, while the likes of Rare Change and Sudden Flight could end up in the Silver Cup.

Enfjaar could be in action again at Ayr

Roger Varian

  • 6 wins from 22 at 27.27% +£14.5 to £1 at SP
  • Saturday entries; Khafiz, Enfjaar, Coming Attraction, Russet Gold

As we saw at Doncaster’s St Leger Festival this is Roger Varian’s time of year and his Ayr runners are always worth a second look as you can see.

He’s won up at Ayr with the likes of Morando, Royal Champion and Aimeric in the last decade, while his form figures at last year’s meeting were 322.

With no runners on the Thursday or Friday this time around, he’ll be hoping to convert a win from his Saturday entries and Coming Attraction looks a filly on the up in the aforementioned Group 3 Firth Of Clyde. Khafiz will be a player in the opening 1m handicap if he runs and Enfjaar could bid to improve on last year’s second in the Doonside Cup.

Finally, Russet Gold might be a more unlikely winner, but he has at least been given a chance by the handicapper, despite being 2lb wrong here, as he bids to end a 17-run losing streak in the week’s feature race.

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