Sergeant Wilko wins under Oisin Murphy

Ayr Saturday Racing best bets: Ed Watson tips

By Ed Watson

Horse Racing

Sat September 20, 2025 · 3M ago

Speed is the name of the game on Scotland’s showpiece occasion of the season, with the Ladbrokes Ayr Gold Cup supported by the Silver Cup and Group 3 Firth Of Clyde Stakes among five live ITV races.

Scottish Sun columnist and Racing TV pundit Ed Watson picks out three big-priced runners who make each-way appeal.

SERGEANT WILKO (2.25 Ayr)

Many of the leading fancies for the Silver Cup are drawn near the stands’ rail, including Nariko and Binhareer, who remains of interest returned to the scene of his five-length rout in early July, and has turned in two crackers in defeat since. However, Timeform’s pace map points to the early speed being more centre-to-far-side and my gut tells me that could prove key.

SERGEANT WILKO finished well beaten in last year’s Ayr Gold Cup, but it’s a tough assignment for a three-year-old at the best of times. Good to firm ground that day was against him too.

He’s better judged on what he can do in a big-field sprint on his subsequent fifth in the Coral Sprint Trophy at York last October, and close fourth to Kodi Lion (more of him later) at Haydock in May, where he wasn't helped by racing down the middle.

Now 2lb lower, he shaped better than the bare result when fifth in a similar event at Ascot (Binhareer third) last time. Softer ground here is a plus, and he has last year’s Gold Cup runner-up Silkie Wilkie and Aberama Gold - who are drawn immediately beside him in stalls one and two - to help push the pace along on the far side. Relatively lightly-raced for a sprinter, Kevin Ryan's charge still has time on his side to get back on the up granted the right combination of conditions.

The Inside Track: “Sergeant Wilko is a very straightforward horse but ground is key to him. He’s started to come back to a bit of form and will love the slow ground up at Ayr” - Adam Ryan, assistant trainer

ISLE OF FERNANDEZ (3.00 Ayr)

Lowther fourth Dandana just about sets the form standard heading into the Firth Of Clyde, while Coming Attraction, Rogue Attraction and Lightning Polka all bring untapped potential to the table stepping up to Group level.

Shock results in Scotland's only Group race are far more common than sightings of Nessie - and on the proviso the ground at Ayr remains on the slow side, there's lots to likey (eat your heart out Paddy McGuinness!) about the chances of ISLE OF FERNANDEZ hitting the frame with four places on offer with most layers.

The 7f Goodwood maiden in which she chased home last week's Group 2 May Hill winner Aylin could not have worked out any better. She was too free from a wide draw when well held in York’s Convivial next time. But back on slower terrain at Carlisle 11 days ago, Isle Of Fernandez converted a penalty-kick with the minimum of fuss.

This is a marked step up, granted. But I thought she looked well suited by dropping to 6f for the first time there, while her ability to stay further is never a bad thing in two-year-old races when the going gets tough. She looks overpriced at as big as 20/1.

The Inside Track: “Isle Of Fernandez goes well with juice in the ground and we know she stays. She needs to step up but we thought it was worth having a crack at a Group race.” - Adam Ryan, assistant trainer

KODI LION (3.35 Ayr)

Northern Ticker has plenty in his favour as he aims to give Michael Dods and Paul Mulrennan a first Ayr Gold Cup but he's not been missed by players or layers alike.

Favourites have a distinctly moderate record in the race - understandably so, given it's a 25-runner sprint handicap where you need pretty much all the cards to drop right - and he’s reluctantly passed over as a punting proposition.

Of the much bigger-priced runners, Mick Appleby’s KODI LION has checks in many of the boxes I look for in a potential Ayr Gold Cup winner.

Proven stamina for 7f but the speed for 6f? Tick. Well suited to the rigours of a big-field handicap run at an unrelenting pace? Tick. Trained by a shrewd operator renowned for unlocking incremental improvement from horses he inherits from other yards? Tick.

Goes in the ground? Well, you can't have it all, can you? If you did, Kodi Lion would be nearer a 5/1 poke like Northern Ticker, not 25/1. Still, if rider Ali Rawlinson is right, Kodi Lion won't mind juice in the ground up at Ayr. Stall 17 also gives Rawlinson options to go centre or stands' side depending on how the Silver Cup shakes down 70 minutes earlier. He's an interesting one at the prices.

The Inside Track: "I’m looking forward to getting back on Kodi Lion. You can scrap his last run at Sandown, where he was too keen out in front over 7f for William Buick. Before that he'd been running really well, and he's been training well in the lead-up to this. Some of his best runs for his previous yard came on a bit softer ground. He's not really had that for us yet, other than last time at Sandown, so we're looking forward to getting him on some. We think it will suit him.” - Ali Rawlinson, jockey

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