Ayr Gold Cup

The Ayr Gold Cup is a flat horse race for three-year-old and above thoroughbreds run over a straight 6 furlongs (1,207 metres) at Ayr Racecourse in September.

It was first run in 1804 when the race was contested over two separate heats of 2 miles. This bears little resemblance to the much shorter race of today, which is now the richest sprint handicap in Europe.

The current maximum number of runners is 28, taken from the 28 highest weighted horses entered for the race. The next 28 in the list compete for the Ayr Silver Cup over the same course and distance one day earlier, and the result of this can sometimes hint at a possible draw advantage in the Ayr Gold Cup.