Saturday Preview

The William Hill Ayr Gold Cup, the highlight of tomorrow's racing, often resembles a scene out of Tennyson's poem 'The Charge of the Light Brigade', rather than a traditional horse race. The six furlong contest, run at the home of Scottish racing, is a blistering cavalry charge involving 27 jockeys and 108 thundering hooves. And punters can often face a similar fate to the six hundred who rode into the valley of death, as luck in running, or indeed a lack of it, often dictates the outcome. With favourites facing a similar fate - the last to collect was Coastal Bluff in 1996 - it's the sort of race I would normally avoid like the plague. But tomorrow is an exception, as I can't resist an each way punt on MAC'S POWER. I have James Fanshawe's gelding in the unlucky book this season after running some great races in smoking hot handicaps without managing to get his head in front. His third to Hoof It in the Stewards' Cup reads exceptionally well, especially after the winner has franked the form since with some excellent performances in Group One company.The son of Exceed and Excel appears to have been handed a good draw in stall 8, with the winners of Friday's two big handicaps coming out of low births. Pace should also be guaranteed, not only with the furious nature of the race itself but the presence of front running Croisultan in stall 7. I have the Irish raider down as one of the main dangers, alongside the improving Pepper Lane and the only Scottish runner Haweyethenoo. I'm sure the latter is more than capable of winning a handicap off 104, but I think the ground and draw might just be enough to quell his chance tomorrow. So at 12/1, with most firms paying a quarter the odds for the first five places, Mac’s Power is worth a punt to land the spoils.

Although the rest of Ayr’s card is a competitive affair, it doesn’t look particularly appealing from a punting perspective and is best left alone. A similar case could be made for the action at Newbury, apart from the Dubai Duty Free Arc Trial in which GREEN DESTINY looks very much the one to beat. William Haggas’s inmate has chequered form, with victories coming in between two poor efforts when sent off a short priced favourite. Excuses, however, can be made for those runs and I believe the best is yet to come from the gelded son of Marju. He saw off some good types in comfortable enough style at York, pricking his ears when hitting the front in the final furlong. The step up to 11 furlongs looks a supreme positive, as does some cut in the ground. Despite carrying a penalty for his latest success, Kieron Fallon can steer Green Destiny home in front of the improving Al Kazeem.