Daryl Carter's Tips: O'Meara is set for a good day with Ayr trio

• Horzadar and Cold Stare to repeat the feat

• Stressfree is an interesting runner for O'Meara if building on the latest Redcar fourth

• Sirona will go well down in distance

13:42 Ayr - Back Hortzadar @ 2/13.00 1pt

Hortzadar - 2/13.00 on the Betfair Sportsbook - can kick things off with a winner for David O'Meara, who holds a handful of chances at Ayr this afternoon, and his runner arrives having scalped two of these over course and distance last time, and the further dig underground only enhances his claims for further success.

He remains very well-handicapped on his old form and remains in this Class 5 grade for the second time in his career. Mark Winn takes over in the saddle in this Apprentice Handicap, but he has plenty of experience in these types of races for the trainer, so there looks no reason to abandon him in the hope he can rack up back-to-back wins for the first time since 2020.

Of his rivals, many will find conditions against them. Although the cheek-pieces the selection wore last time are off today, he still had his main market rival Ventura Rascal behind over course and distance back in May without that headgear on ground that would have favoured the Kevin Ryan runner.

He ticks all the boxes and is very hard to find fault with and anything bigger than 2/13.00 is acceptable.

14:47 Ayr - Back Stressfree @ 4/15.00 1pt

David O'Meara's new French recruit Stressfree - 4/15.00 on the Betfair Sportsbook - offered plenty of promise at Redcar on his first start in the UK when shaping in need of a more robust pace to aim at. He hung left but finished with running left in a good race that saw the winner follow up at Epsom, the third win a selling event at Hamilton, and the second had a strikingly good course record.

That run suggested he was on a fair mark switched to British racing, and now tacking on inferior and more exposed opposition, he looks the way to go in this event.

His Redcar effort came on the back of a three-month break, and he is entitled to improve on that run, particularly now switched to a softer surface where stamina will be drawn out, and he is a half-brother to seven winners with RPRs ranging from 86 to 118.

It's easy to see why connections in France applied the cheek-pieces from day one, but O'Meara thinks that is not required yet. He wasn't disgraced on his final outing at Chantilly when beaten five lengths in a conditions race behind one that produced some strong Listed form and record RPRs of 106.

That same conditions race saw the runner-up beaten a nose next time in a Group 3 and the third win a handicap next time out.

He scored at Paris Longchamp on his second outing of his career over Jumeirah King, who was held here by Glasses Up, but he had also comfortably held that rival.

Anything around the 4/15.00 or bigger mark looks acceptable.

15:22 Ayr - Back Sirona @ 10/111.00 1pt

I fully respect the top of this market, but the favourite Autumn Festival has been behind Abduction on two occasions, and a third is when the latter finished on the bridle and had nowhere to go on the rail at Beverley.

I can't fathom how they are such different prices, particularly given this is at a course where the Jim Goldie runner thrives and has won three times over course and distance.

I expect Autumn Festival to drift as I do Master Zoffany. The above-mentioned Abduction doesn't want soft ground and was behind Master Zoffany at Chester last year with no real excuses.

Paul Mulrennan seemingly thinks of the Goldie two that Rock Melody wants seven furlongs, and we would be on different pages on that front. William Dewhirst is going the right way, but he lacks the quality upped in grade.

The pace is likely to come from Autumn Festival and Sirona - 10/111.00 on the Betfair Sportsbook - but the former can be slowly away, and this is not a track to quickly recover the lead if doing so, and that could leave the selection with a soft lead.

In turn, Sirona ran much better here on the last day over 1m and the drop back to seven furlongs on the evidence of her speedy early sectionals in a race that saw the front pack (including the selection) do too much too soon, is a positive.

She did best of those ridden on the pace after using plenty of early petrol from a wide draw in stall ten. She is birthed much better today in three, and I expect Joe Fanning to adopt the same tactics. She has proven this mark within reach on two of her last three starts, and she has more to offer with soft ground underfoot.

17:07 Ayr - Back Cold Stare @ 5/23.50 1pt

The percentage call is to side with Cold Stare - 5/23.50 on the Betfair Sportsbook - who continues to thrive in recent weeks, has an excellent course record and has form that holds a handful of these rivals.

The move back to six furlongs is a slight concern, given the eight-year-old needed every yard of the seven here ten days ago. Still, he pulled well clear with the Bronze Gold Cup winner over six on his penultimate start, effortlessly passing what will likely prove his most significant danger in Jordan Electrics.

There's little reason to oppose him, mainly under his optimal conditions, with form figures at this venue reading 122512 in the last two years and coupled with soft in the going description, they read 12212, and when in Class 4 company like today they read 121 including off 11 lbs higher in 2021.

Granted, he may not be the force of old, but he has pulled out his old spark re-fitted with the tongue tie and cheekpieces the last thrice while there is no potential improver in this field, and he is fairly handicapped and should be stronger at the finish than most of these rivals.

As is the case with Hortzador, the trainer looks to be striking while the iron is hot, and with both having strong claims over a course and distance they enjoy, it's right to do so.