Regal to turn Ayr Gold Cup into another Nicholls parade says Alan Tracy

Sep 16 2011 Ayrshire Post (main ed)

THE William Hill Ayr Gold Cup market is dominated by a smattering of young pretenders this year.

But old boy Regal Parade – a past winner of the famous race and in the autumn of his career at the ripe old age of seven – is fancied to wind back the years and force trainer Dandy Nicholls to create yet more Gold Cup space on the mantelpiece.

Nicholls’ charge, an attractive 25-1 proposition on Tuesday, has perhaps been going through the motions a little this summer, albeit in Group or Listed company.

But you can bet your last scabby fiver that Nicholls will have Regal cherry ripe for the big one on Saturday. It’s also very interesting to note that almost all of Regal Parade’s outstanding runs have been done at the tail end of a season, when the going inevitably turns soft, not least when he was a comfortable winner of this very race in 2008 in heavy going.

Regal also turned in a magnificent performance in sloppy ground at Longchamp’s Arc meeting last October, going down just one and three quarter lengths to global star Goldikova in the Group 1 Prix De La Foret over seven furlongs.

A return to anything like that level of form must have Regal Parade going close on his favoured ground, which he hasn’t enjoyed since the beginning of the season when he usually needs a run.

We might not get heavy in the going description this week, but it’s almost certain to be on the softer side of good and will, as ever, require a horse with the class to lay up with the usual cavalry charge pace, but also have a slice of stamina to see the race out.

Funfair Wane, also trained by Nicholls, completed the double in 2002 and 2004 and REGAL PARADE is taken to repeat the feat at a big price.

Obvious threats to the selection, and fancied to fill the runners up berths, are Pepper Lane and Mac’s Power.

Pepper Lane, joint favourite at around 12/1, ticks many of the required Ayr Gold Cup boxes, is in good heart after spinning off a treble of wins, the last of which in the competitive Great St Wilfred at Ripon.

This four-year-old is clearly on an upward curve right now and doesn’t mind a bit of cut in the ground. But she might just lack that little extra ounce of class that most winners of this race tend to have in their locker and will probably run another blinder without getting her neck in front.

Mac’s Power, meanwhile, at five-years-old has been around the block once or twice more than Pepper Lane. Mac is due to land a big sprint after going close a few times this season, most notably in the Wokingham at Royal Ascot on soft ground when he beat everything on the stands side, only to lose out miserably to the far side group.

But he is the proverbial hold-up horse and is one of those beasts that can find trouble when there’s none to be had and there’s every chance he’ll find more of the same in this 29-runner field.

Mac’s Power will probably find a sliver of light when the race is all but over, as will Ancient Cross, who showed a return to form in last week’s Portland at Doncaster and could easily run into a place here.

Of the others: Our Jonathan (another followed by the words “trouble in running”); Colonel Mak (likes course and distance but not soft ground); Hawkeyethenoo (perennial Scots hope, another hold-up horse who finds trouble and might just prefer faster ground); Kanaf (sometimes struggles to go early clip and could get left behind); Waffle (seems to have gone off the boil) and Majestic Myles (apparently laid out for the race, but not many three-year-olds win this, let alone from top weight and soft ground a complete unknown).