The Ayr Gold Cup Festival is Scotland’s most valuable flat meeting, taking place over three days in September the week following the St Leger fixture at Doncaster.
The festival starts on Thursday, with the Gold Cup itself running on the final day on Saturday. With a prize fund of £180,000, this 6f sprint handicap is one of the most valuable of its type in Europe. Despite a maximum field of 25 there are two consolation races for the Gold Cup with the Silver Cup and Bronze Cup run over the same conditions.
Other highlights include the Firth Of Clyde Stakes which Scotland’s only Group race, and three Listed races in the Harry Rosebery Stakes, Scottish Sprint Fillies’ Stakes and the Doonside Cup.
Thursday 18th September 2025
The Ayr Gold Cup meeting opens with a 1m novice stakes race for two-year olds and a 5f sprint handicap before the most valuable race of the day, the class 2 Kilkerran Handicap over 1m2f.
A 1m2f handicap for fillies is followed by two 1m handicaps, a 7f handicap and the class 3 Tennent’s Lager Handicap over 1m5f.
- 1:45pm: Almins Vantage/Lallemand Magniva Classic EBF Novice Stakes
Class 5, 1m, 2yo, £8,000 - 2:15pm: Jackie And Janet Mack 65th Anniversary Handicap
Class 5, 5f, 3yo+, £8,000 - 2:45pm: Ladbrokes “Free Bet At Ayr” Kilkerran Handicap
Class 2, 1m2f, 3yo+, £30,000 - 3:15pm: British Stallion Studs Scottish Premier Series EBF Fillies’ Handicap
Class 4, 1m2f, 3yo+, £17,000 - 3:45pm: RBC Brewin Dolphin Wealth Management Handicap (Div I)
Class 5, 1m, 3yo+, £8,000 - 4:15pm: RBC Brewin Dolphin Wealth Management Handicap (Div II)
Class 5, 1m, 3yo+, £8,000 - 4:45pm: Ladbrokes “Get Rewarded With Ladbucks” Handicap
Class 6, 7f, 3yo+, £7,000 - 5:20: Tennent’s Lager Handicap
Class 3, 1m5f, 3yo+, £16,000
Friday 19th September 2025, Ladies Day
The middle day of the festival is Ladies Day with the action on the track starting with two nursery handicaps before two valuable Listed contests in the 5f Harry Rosebery Stakes for two-year-olds and the Scottish Sprint Fillies’ Stakes over 5½f.
Next on the card is the consolation race for the Silver Cup, the Bronze Cup, which is run over the same 6f distance. Day two closes with two 1m handicaps and the 1m5f Slater Menswear Handicap.
- 1:28pm: Ladbrokes ‘Free Bet At Ayr’ Fillies’ Nursery Handicap
Class 4, 7f, 2yo, £15,000 - 1:58pm: Get Home Safe With Thistle Cabs EBF Nursery Handicap
Class 2, 6f, 2yo, £18,000 - 2:33pm: British EBF Stallions Harry Rosebery Stakes
Listed, 5f, 2yo, £35,500 - 3:05pm: Arran Scottish Sprint EBF Fillies’ Stakes
Listed, 5½f, 3yo+, £47,000 - 3:40pm: Ladbrokes Ayr Bronze Cup Handicap
Class 2, 6f, 3yo+, £35,000 - 4:15pm: Graeme Allan’s 70th Birthday Pension Scheme Handicap (Div I)
Class 5, 1m, 3yo+, £9,000 - 4:45pm: Graeme Allan’s 70th Birthday Pension Scheme Handicap (Div II)
Class 5, 1m, 3yo+, £9,000 - 5:20: Slater Menswear Handicap
Class 5, 1m5f, 3yo+, £9,000
Friday 20th September 2025, Ayr Gold Cup Day
The final day begins with a 1m handicap ahead of the Listed Doonside Cup over 1m2f and the Silver Cup, the consolation race for the Gold Cup. The Group 3 Firth Of Clyde Stakes for two-year-olds is next before the big race of the week, the Ayr Gold Cup itself. This £180k class 2 handicap regularly sees the maximum field of 25 compete over the 6f sprint distance.
A 7f novices stakes race and a 7f handicap bring the meeting to a close.
- 1:15pm: Ladbrokes “Free Bet At Ayr” Handicap
Class 2, 1m, 3yo+, £45,000 - 1:50pm: Ladbrokes “Big Football Bet Builder Boosts” Doonside Cup Stakes
Listed, 1m2f, 3yo+, £60,000 - 2:25pm: Ladbrokes Ayr Silver Cup Handicap
Class 2, 6f, 3yo+, £65,500 - 3:00pm: Ladbrokes “Get Rewarded With Ladbucks” Firth Of Clyde
Group 3, 6f, 2yo, £65,000 - 3:35pm: Ladbrokes Ayr Gold Cup Handicap
Class 2, 6f, 3yo+, £180,000 - 4:10pm: British Stallion Studs EBF Novice Stakes
Class 2, 7f, 2yo, £40,000 - 4:40pm: Jordan Electrics Handicap
Class 4, 7f, 3yo+, £22,000
