I am very surprised at how bad Star Of Lady M was at Ayr. She must have been primed for a big run, and the ground wasn't enough for her to finish in last place.
Unfortunately, I didn't get to watch Remmooz live, but caught the final image of him winning when hard-pressed. He's a lovely horse going forward, and it was nice to see him get a Class 1 win under his belt.
Almeric 6/4 (2pt) – Ayr 1.50
The odds are getting skinny on Almeric, but if he is fit, I think he is the best horse in the race. That's a brave statement, as this race has some decent animals, but I really liked what I saw from him in April.
Obviously, when a horse returns with a win at the start of the season and isn't seen till September, it raises eyebrows. There must have been something wrong, as he looked great at Newmarket. We know he handles soft ground, and it's probably the ground that he does best on, so there is an off chance he has been kept away for testing ground.
The form of the race isn't phenomenal, but I've always liked King Of Cities, so the fact he beat him comfortably rates well. The horse I've just mentioned did win a decent race last time out, so there is substance.
Andrew Balding has won this race two times in the last nine years, and Oisin Murphy is definitely the most in-form jockey in the country. I see very little against him, other than fitness issues. Maybe it would be best to monitor the market and see which way he goes before backing.
Our Mighty Mo 7/1 (1pt EW, 4pl) – Ayr 5.15
In my opinion, they were not trying in the slightest on Our Mighty Mo last time out. She is a horse who likes to be ridden from the front, so seeing her held up in last place did stink the place out.
In all fairness, she probably ran better than where she finished. Epsom that weekend was showing that it was best to keep on the pace, and if you got an uncontested lead, it was hard to bridge the gaps from behind. The winner got a lovely ride from the front and eased to the victory. Our Mighty Mo wasn't settling at the rear, which isn't a surprise, as it's not the way she likes to be ridden. She tried to make up some of the gap from the front, but was given far too much to do.
Last time out was his first run after 90 days off the track, so they have sent her to Epsom for a run out. She is a horse who acts well on soft ground, so the ground at Ayr she encounters should be ideal. The handicapper has dropped her by 1lb, and Jack Nicholls takes off a further 5lbs, meaning she is starting to become extremely well handicapped.
There are a few in this race who are also well handicapped, but Our Mighty Mo is still a three-year-old with not as many miles on the clock.
Majestic Warrior 7/2 (1pt) – Newbury 2.05
The horse I tipped up for the Sky Bet Ebor at York a couple of weeks ago was Majestic Warrior. I thought he was primed for that race, but it was always going to be tough on the back of a decent layoff. Despite not winning, he showed enough to suggest he can win quality handicaps, so today's race is one which he can definitely land.
This race is definitely easier than the Ebor, so he must be going close on the back of that performance. He travelled like a horse that could have challenged for the places at the very minimum, but his gas tank emptied inside the final couple of furlongs, which makes me think he was 100% fit for the race.
Stressfree also ran in the Ebor and finished ahead of Majestic Warrior, so he has to be respected. However, Stressfree has been running in these races all year long and hasn't managed to get his head in front, plus he had the fitness edge over my fancy.
GambleAware