Ardisia, ridden by David Probert, wins the Goodwood nursery

Ayr Friday best bets: Ed Watson tips

By Ed Watson

Horse Racing

Fri September 19, 2025 · 3M ago

Scottish Sun columnist and Racing TV pundit Ed Watson marks your card for day two of the Ladbrokes Ayr Gold Cup Festival with three fancies.

ARDISIA (1.58 Ayr)

The step up to 6f has clearly sparked a chunk of improvement from ARDISIA. Less obvious - but equally as important - has been the fitting of a blindfold and obtaining a pass for late stalls entry. With those factors in place, Hugo Palmer’s Ardad gelding posted career-best efforts in winning a fair nursery (on good to soft) at Goodwood’s big Glorious gig; and again last time when third to Song Of The Clyde (now officially rated 100) in the Goffs sales race at York’s Sky Bet Ebor Festival (good to firm).

For my money, that form gives him an edge over Utmost Respect and Go Vince Go, who finished down the field in a Knavesmire nursery 24 hours earlier; although the latter bounced back reverting to easier ground in winning Hamilton’s nursery series final. Tim Easterby’s charge comes out marginally Timeform top-rated on the back of that.

The Inside Track: “Ardisia is such a sweet horse, but for whatever reason he started to rear up in the stalls and miss the break. He goes into the stalls late now and then we whip the hood off at the last moment. He got away quickly at Goodwood and did so again at York, so hopefully we’ve cracked that now.” - Hugo Palmer, trainer

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IPANEMA QUEEN (2.33 Ayr)

Fresh from their win in the Group 1 Flying Five at the Curragh on Sunday, Adrian Murray and David Egan have more Pattern-race sprint success in their sights with IPANEMA QUEEN in the Listed Harry Rosebery Stakes. A 6f winner on debut, she looked to have sharpened up markedly on her second start over 5f when beating the subsequent Flying Childers runner-up Kansas in a Curragh Listed event last month.

She again displayed loads of natural pace returned to 6f for a Group 3 at the same track three weeks ago, only to forfeit three places inside the final 100 yards as she tired. The return to 5f here is a definite plus and, although she has to shoulder a 3lb penalty as the sole previous Listed winner in the line-up, the Sands Of Mali filly may be up to conceding it.

With the exception of the first-time-cheekpieced Shine On Me, who's been placed in Listed and Group 3 events in France the last twice, Timeform ratings suggest the other 10 runners all need to take a fair step forward. Of those at bigger prices, Lebron Power landed a soft-ground nursery at Sandown in tidy style last time and could hit the frame.

The Inside Track: “Ipanema Queen is proven at this level and Adrian is very happy with her. They’ve been filling me with plenty of confidence. She has a lot of natural pace and seems to be getting quicker with the more experience she gets. I think she has a very good chance.” - David Egan, jockey

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STAR OF LADY M (3.05 Ayr)

A six-time scorer last season, STAR OF LADY M can repeat her success in this Listed fillies’ sprint following a promising belated return to action at Beverley.

She improved 36lb during that winning spree in 2024, thanks in no small part to an emphatic York handicap romp, and culminating with a clear-cut, all-the-way victory in this five-and-a-half furlong dash. The form of that race has been underlined several times since, with Rage Of Bamby (runner-up) and Frost At Dawn (third) going on to make an impact at Group level this year.

A staying-on third to Shagraan in the Beverley Bullet three weeks ago should have blown away the cobwebs following 10 months on the sidelines and, potentially crucially given the unsettled forecast, Star Of Lady M is effective on all types of ground.

David O’Meara’s grey has 6lb in hand on official ratings over fellow Ayr Listed winners Beautiful Diamond and Star Of Mehmas. The former is 2-2 at the track, having followed her 2023 Harry Roseberry win with a dead heat in the Land O’Burns last summer, but she’s not been sighted since disappointing in the Palace House at the start of May. Star Of Mehmas swooped late to beat subsequent Portland scorer Eternal Sunshine in a fillies’ handicap over 6f at the Ebor Festival. Trainer Richard Hughes has a good record with the few horses he sends to this meeting, but this kind of ground is a complete unknown for last year’s Harry Roseberry heroine.