Punters Panel: Horse racing betting tips for this weekend

The Ayr Gold Cup takes centre stage this weekend as another cracking Saturday of Flat racing awaits punters across Britain.

Testing conditions could make one of the season’s biggest sprint handicaps particularly difficult to solve, while the supporting Ayr card and some quality action from Newbury provide our panel with plenty more betting opportunities.

This week, our contributors also reflect on Saffie Osborne’s historic St Leger victory and pick out their highlights from a memorable Irish Champions Weekend.

As always, our four racing fans are here to give their thoughts – and hopefully point you towards a winner or two along the way!

Introducing the Odds Now Horse Racing Punters’ Panel

Harry Fowler: Another of Odds Now’s regular racing contributors, currently working in the industry.

Zac Castledine: Regular Races Now viewer and Punters’ Panel contributor with a keen eye for the big racing action.

Adam Smith: A betting industry veteran, Flat lover and one half of our Races Now double act.

Lewis Beaty: Returning for his third stint on the Punters’ Panel, Lewis is a passionate racing punter. Away from racing, he is a dedicated home and away Chelsea supporter.

The big race of the weekend comes from Ayr with their Gold Cup – who wins?

HF: You can make a case for many in this race, but I’ve backed two. The first is Far Above Dream, who has had a brilliant season, winning his first two starts and then running some big races off this mark in strong handicaps at Royal Ascot, Glorious Goodwood and the York Ebor meeting, with his most recent run a career best. He goes on any ground and I think he’ll go close. The other, at a bigger price, is Candy, who won this race last year off a mark of 92. He hasn’t had the best of seasons so far and the handicapper hasn’t particularly helped his case, still off 97 here, but I think the key to him could be the soft ground and returning to Ayr, where he is two from two.

ZC: Dance In The Storm for me. She was well beaten last time at York, which was her first attempt at 6f, but that’s a distance I felt she could find plenty of improvement over. The form of that race has been franked too, with Coul Angel winning a valuable race on Irish Champions Weekend and Sondad also running well in fourth. Andrew Balding has been sublime this season and is chasing the trainers’ championship, so I feel this filly can help add another £92,000 to his title charge.

AS: Soft ground could cause chaos here. It reduces Binhareer's chances. I'll go for Fine Interview, who hated Epsom on his penultimate start but was much better last time at York and doesn't mind slow ground.

LB: I'm with Thunder Call. He's progressive, arrives in good nick and looks the type to improve again in a race like this. Evening Saigon would be my each-way shout.

Anything else on the Ayr card?

HF: In the first race, I’m with Spoken Truth, another who will love the ground conditions. He has been ultra-consistent this season, mainly on quicker ground, which I’m not sure sees him at his best. He was well backed on soft ground last time and won easily at Ripon. He’s up 5lb for that win, but I think he can kick on from that effort now.

ZC: Absolutely, and it’s another daughter of European champion sire Night Of Thunder. Silent Beauty looked like a very smart filly when winning at Ripon last time. I just feel she’ll be too classy for these. Her dam was Group 1-placed on heavy ground, so conditions shouldn’t be an issue either. Everything seems to be pointing towards a very smart performance.

AS: I was keen to take on Ice Max in the Doonside Cup (1:55) in a race full of question marks – three of the top five in the market have been off for more than 100 days. Fast Tracker is the one for me following his fair effort behind Group 1 horse Zavateri in the Goodwood slop last time, plus he missed the break.

LB: Ice Max in the Doonside Cup catches my eye. In the Silver Cup, Coul Angel looks overpriced if getting a run.

Some good action from Newbury – any fancies?

HF: In the 2:47, I like Boyfriend. He has been placed on his last three starts and was unlucky in his last two, particularly last time when he came from nowhere and finished strongly for third. That was over a mile, and I think stepping back up to a mile and a quarter can see him win this.

ZC: Starlust at 1:02 for me. He hasn’t won since his Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint victory in 2024, but he’s been competing in much deeper races than this and comes here off the back of two superb runs in Group 1 company. He was just half a length behind the reopposing Redorange at York earlier this season but put that right when finishing three lengths ahead of him in the Nunthorpe. I have it between the two of them, but I fancy Starlust to confirm the form.

AS: Redorange is my bet of the weekend in the 1:02. He had current favourite Starlust comfortably behind when they last met in July. And Starlust went all the way to the Curragh and back last Sunday – that's a lot of travel for a horse that hasn't won any of his last eight starts.

LB: Starlust in the World Trophy and Inner City Blues in the Mill Reef would be my two against the field.

Any other bets lined up this weekend?

HF: There are no prices as of yet, so I’ll have to see, but Flower Show was a big eyecatcher at Sandown first time up and I think she could be above average. If I can catch anything at 6/4 or bigger, I’ll be getting stuck in.

ZC: They wouldn’t be bets, but I am looking forward to watching Arapaho Gold continuing his sublime juvenile campaign for Michael Dods in the Mill Reef. I’m also very excited to see Flower Show at HQ. She has a lovely pedigree, her maiden form is working out very well and Charlie Appleby couldn’t be in better form. I feel this could be a lengths job.

AS: I'm chancing That's Amore in the 1:20 at Ayr at a big price. Clearly a hard horse to keep fit but I can see this one going off shorter. Unexposed, first time in a handicap, first time ridden by Oisin Murphy, has won on heavy ground and Ralph Beckett is in better form than he has been for most of this season.

LB: Thunder Call, Starlust and Inner City Blues would be my main three. If you're after a bigger-priced one, Ice Max.

Saffie Osborne made history in the St Leger – what did you make of it?

HF: In terms of the race itself, it was a tad disappointing to see Aidan’s big two fail to fire. Whether they didn’t stay, aren’t very good, or it was down to whatever excuse Aidan gave about the stable having a cloud over it for two months. But when Aidan doesn’t fire, Joseph probably will, and what a trainer he is. Everything went perfectly for him. Billy followed Saffie through the race and I was on Enceladus, so I thought I was on to a winner, but Highwayman and Saffie weren’t for passing. The story of the first female jockey to win a UK Flat Classic was the big story, though. I was at Doncaster and it was huge. You could see what it meant to her and, with it since being reported in so many places, it’s great for racing. It’s great to have such a talented jockey and I can see many people going racing and backing her blindly in future, as many did with jockeys like Rachael Blackmore.

ZC: It couldn’t have happened to a more deserving individual. As a sport, we’re lucky to have such incredible young talent, both male and female, helping to pave the way for the future. I felt genuinely proud to be a racing fan on Saturday. Saffie is a superstar.

AS: I thought it was great. Saffie has really had to work hard to get where she is now. Fully deserved. I cannot believe that 'horse racing' doesn't make more of the fact that males and females compete on a level playing field, and the ladies often win. No other sport in the world does this, none. As for the form of the St Leger, crap. I did call this beforehand!

LB: Brilliant moment for racing. It wasn't just history-making, she gave Highwayman a cracking ride and won fair and square. One of those moments that'll be remembered for years.

What was your highlight from Irish Champions Weekend?

HF: The highlights for me came on the Sunday. Commanche Brave looks a superstar that the sprint division has been crying out for, dropping back to 5f and winning essentially on the bridle. However, I think the highlight was Sun Goddess. She has been amazing this season and I wasn’t overly sure about her stepping up in trip, but wow, she was very, very good. How good must Libertango be to beat her?

ZC: It’s hard to split Folsom Blues and Sun Goddess for me, but if I had to choose, it would have to be the filly. How good is she?! The prospect of her clash with Musical Times is already getting the juices flowing. I wonder whether we’ll see that in October, or if we’ll have to wait until May. I’d prefer the latter. Super exciting!

AS: Darkness Falls was very well backed in the new juvenile Group One and duly wazzed up. I backed Wimbledon Hawkeye at 40/1 just before the off of the Irish Champion, only to be nosed out by a 50/1 shot! Constitution River isn't as good as they said he was. Item was rubbish. Sun Goddess has more chance of staying a mile than I thought. Comanche Brave won on the bridle. Joseph O'Brien has a fantastic record in the National Stakes. And Scandinavia is head and shoulders above all stayers.

LB: Hotazhell winning the Irish Champion Stakes at 50/1. That's what racing's all about. Nobody saw it coming and he stuck his neck out when it mattered.

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