WILLIAM HILL AYR GOLD CUP BETTING TIPS

We're just a few days away from the 2009 running of the Ayr Gold Cup and the current antepost favourite is Evens and Odds- thankfully, he's not listed at evens. The 5 year-old Irish runner came 2nd to Genki in the Stewards Handicap at Goodwood back on August 1st and has had a bit of a mixed season, either finishing top 3 or towards the back of the pack. Genki runs in this race as well and looks a solid each-way bet at around 10/1 with most major bookmakers. He got completely worked in the Wokingham Stakes at Ascot, finishing 26/26 in an error-laden outing. These types of handicaps are always a bit difficult for the shorter-priced horses so I feel that Genki may not be a surefire winner, but he's a very solid price for a place bet. I think he's towards the top in terms of quality, but a lot will depend on who runs the best race. Redford is attracting attention, but he's winless since last June when he bested The Osteopath at Newcastle. He is 4-3-6-3 coming into this one and his short-price turns me off. He is currently trading just behind Evens and Odds at 9/1 with William Hill.If you think this one could be a day for the younger charges, check out Exceptional Art- a very solid three year-old who just bested a field of 16 at Beverley in the Beverley Bullet Sprint Race in late August. His 2009 record is 2-1-6-1 and that's some of the best form coming into the race. He's never run against a crowd this big, but I fancy him to be able to handle it. He will be a contender down the stretch and I will be backing him on an each-way and using him at the top of a forecast. He's listed at 10/1 at the moment. Other notables include Everymanforhimself at 20/1 who had a great run earlier in the season finishing 3-2-2-2 in a series or races with a variety of different jockeys on top. He was 2 out of 22 in his last race a week ago and he could really put together a nice performance if he's well positioned on the way back. He's the value bet in my opinion. Zidane is 1-5 from the last two and has had some solid outings in the past year. The 25/1 price is another for the value hunters.