13:00 Ayr

Friday 2 January 2026

All12:3013:0013:3014:0014:3015:0015:30

Cheltenham Gold Cup Lunch at WesternHouseHotel Maiden Hurdle (GBB Race)

Off time: 13:02 | Winning time: 3m 55.29s

Abbey Scope¹¹

Age: 6| Weight: 11-8| J: Sean Quinlan| T: N G Richards| D

33/1

Overcame inexperience to make a winning debut in a Kelso bumper in April and, following a 7-month break, he shaped well when third of 8 in novice at Market Rasen on hurdles bow. However, he took a backward step next time at Musselburgh where a shoddy round of jumping did him no favours at all.

Form: 1-35

Giveitsomewellie

Age: 6| Weight: 11-8| J: Alan Doyle⁽³⁾| T: A B Hamilton

300/1

Out of a 2½m hurdle winner but he doesn't have the look of a probable first-time-out scorer on paper.

Form:

Johnny Moonshine³³

Age: 5| Weight: 11-8| J: Theo Gillard| T: D McCain Jnr

20/1

Runner-up sole start in an Irish point in March but, judged on his Rules debut fourth at Carlisle last month, he will probably need more time and distance before coming into his own.

Form: 2-4

Johnny Two Jets³²

Age: 5| Weight: 11-8| J: Toby Wynne| T: R M Smith

200/1

Beat just one rival home starting out in a bumper here last month and he's hard to warm to now switched to hurdles. Yard saddles a more appealing candidate in Largy Meadow.

Form: 7

L'arme De Bonheur³²

Age: 5| Weight: 11-8| J: Jamie Hamilton| T: N W Alexander

200/1

Made an encouraging start to his career when second in a Uttoxeter bumper for Tom George in May. However, that now feels like an awful long time ago in light of his poor subsequent efforts in novice events over this C&D for new connections.

Form: 208

Largy Meadow^t¹⁶⁴

Age: 6| Weight: 11-8| J: Ben Smith⁽⁷⁾| T: R M Smith

33/1

Out of a 2m-3m hurdle winner and didn't shape at all badly when chasing home a useful-looking type on debut/sole start for Stuart Crawford in a Ballinrobe bumper during the summer. Possibilities if able to build on that now sent hurdling for new yard.

Form: 2

Like Minded³²

Age: 5| Weight: 11-8| J: P W Wadge| T: L Russell & M Scudamore

7/2

Shaped well when fourth of 11 on debut over this C&D last month and, though already in need of a stiffer test judged on that display, he is a live each-way candidate for last year's winning yard.

Form: 4

Locquirec^t1¹⁰⁶

Age: 5| Weight: 11-8| J: Craig Nichol| T: O Greenall & J Guerriero| OR: 119

12/1

Made the frame all 3 starts over hurdles in France for Francois Nicolle. Tongue strap enlisted for this British debut and confidence behind him in the betting would look significant.

Form: 2-43

Plane Sailing²⁶

Age: 6| Weight: 11-8| J: Callum Bewley| T: D Bourke

300/1

Backed into 11/4 but folded quickly on Hexham bumper debut in April. Again went with little promise on return/hurdles bow at Kelso and it's easy enough to look elsewhere.

Form: 8-P

Sanilam²⁶

Age: 6| Weight: 11-8| J: B S Hughes| T: A M Thomson| CD

11/4

Ayr bumper winner for Claire O'Connell in March and promise both starts in 2m maiden hurdles at Kelso, latterly finishing third in a 9-runner contest on his first run following a wind op. He's another that will benefit from a stiffer test before long but merits respect here nonetheless.

Form: 15-63

Whathaveyou^t⁵¹

Age: 7| Weight: 11-8| J: Bruce Lynn| T: N W Alexander

40/1

Remote fourth in a Perth bumper in spring 2024 and never dangerous back from an 18-month absence in a novice here in November.

Form: 4-7

Wilstar^t1⁵⁷

Age: 6| Weight: 11-8| J: S Bowen| T: O Murphy| BF| DWS

5/6

Successful at Perth on second start in bumpers during the spring and clearly wasn't right on hurdles debut at Newbury in November (since undergone a wind op). Fitted with a first-time tongue strap and he's well worth another chance given his pedigree and bumper promise.

Form: 31-8

Zhanma Enki²⁶

Age: 5| Weight: 11-1| J: Sam Ewing| T: S R B Crawford

66/1

Fetched €100,000 as a 3-y-o but this well-bred filly failed to justify favouritism on debut in a Perth bumper in May. Little spark switched to hurdles the last twice and while her yard won this in 2023 and 2024, she needs to raise her game a couple of notches.

Form: 304

Forecasts

Wilstar (5/6), Sanilam (11/4), Like Minded (7/2), Locquirec (12/1), Johnny Moonshine (20/1), Abbey Scope (33/1), Largy Meadow (33/1), Whathaveyou (40/1), Zhanma Enki (66/1), L'arme De Bonheur (200/1), Johnny Two Jets (200/1), Giveitsomewellie (300/1), Plane Sailing (300/1)

The well-related WILSTAR proved a let-down starting out over hurdles at Newbury, but he has since undergone wind surgery and, given the promise he showed in bumpers during the spring, it's not hard to envisage him leaving that form a long way behind here. He gets the nod ahead of French import Locquirec, while likely improvers Like Minded and Sanilam have decent each-way claims, for all that they're both likely to be seen in a better light when faced with stiffer tests.