Ayr Racing Tips: Royal Rhyme ready for a higher grade

• An Ayr NAP, Next Best and Each-Way from Timeform

• Free bet for customers betting £5 on multis. T&Cs apply.

Ayr NAP - 13:50 - Back Royal Rhyme

Royal Rhyme showed much-improved form when last seen beating a useful group of three-year-olds in a handicap at Glorious Goodwood, taking apart what is always one of the strongest races of its type run all season. He went through the race with notable ease before leaving the others trailing in his wake inside the final two furlongs, ultimately winning by six and a half lengths.

Successful there from a BHA mark of 95, Royal Rhyme ran to a smart level which suggests he should be well capable of making an impact in listed company, with the rain-softened ground here promising to play to his strengths as well (all three of his career wins have come on ground described by Timeform as soft).

Ayr Next Best - 15:00 - Back Raqiya

Raqiya has made a very promising start to her career with back-to-back victories since being beaten on her debut, looking every inch a useful filly in the making. The manner in which she defied a penalty at Haydock last time was particularly striking, hitting the front entering the final furlong and quickly forging clear from there to land the spoils by four and a quarter lengths.

That form puts Raqiya right in the mix in this Group 3 and her scope for more improvement suggests it could be a good opportunity for her to complete the hat-trick on her way to bigger and better things.

Ayr Each-Way - 15:35 - Back Summerghand

Summerghand is set to make his fifth reappearance in the Ayr Gold Cup having previously finished eleventh (in 2018), fourth (2019) and eighth (2021) before finally making the breakthrough 12 months ago.

The nine-year-old has looked as good as ever on his last couple of runs after a slow start to the season, first dead-heating with Albasheer in a valuable handicap at York's Ebor Festival - a race he also won in 2022 - and then looking unlucky not to finish closer when fourth in a similar event won by Big Gossey at the Curragh last time, doing well under the circumstances to be beaten only three and a quarter lengths having been forced to come around a wall of horses.

Already the winner of 17 races - including the Stewards' Cup in 2020 and the Group 3 Abernant Stakes in 2021 - Summerghand lines up here under a 5 lb penalty for his York effort and seems sure to go well again in the latest chapter of what has already been a remarkable career.