The North Yorkshire trainer Kevin Ryan toasted a fourth victory in the Ayr Gold Cup after Brando produced a blockbuster performance under Tom Eaves.
The joint-top weight asserted in the final furlong under a strong drive from Eaves to add his name to Ryan’s winning list of Advanced (2007), Our Jonathan (2011) and Captain Ramius (2012).
A furlong from home it was clear Nameitwhatyoulike could not keep up the gallop as Brando, an 11-1 chance, stormed to the front to collect this prestigious prize by a length and a quarter from Growl, the 4-1 favourite. The evergreen Hoof It, who won the Stewards’ Cup five years ago, ran another cracking race to be third at 16-1, with G Force taking fourth place.
Ryan said: “It’s very special for the owners. They’ve been coming here for years and are great friends of mine. Angie [Bailey, Brando’s owner] has always wanted to win this race.
“Angie said to draw stall eight if his name comes out early enough. She picked the stall. I always like to go middle to far side and all [our] horses came out early enough for me to do that, so it’s worked out.”
Earlier in the day Roudee, trained by Tom Dascombe and owned by Michael Owen and a group of friends, won the Ayr Silver Cup. Coincidentally he came out of stall eight, which was also to be successful for Brando in the Gold Cup an hour later.
Dascombe said: “I told the owners when I bought him at the sales as a yearling :‘I’ve got you the winner of the Lily Agnes [Stakes at Chester] and the Ayr Gold Cup!’ He was a close second at Chester and now he’s won this so hopefully we will be back next year for the Gold Cup.”
On the same card Delectation, trained by Bryan Smart, came from last to first to run out an impressive winner of the Firth of Clyde Stakes and could now be trained for next year’s 1,000 Guineas.
The Mill Reef Stakes at Newbury does not often live up to its Group Two status, but that was certainly not the case on Saturday as the hugely impressive Harry Angel opened his account to win by an eye-catching two and a half lengths from Perfect Angel. Adam Kirby held the 2-1 favourite just off the pace before giving the Clive Cox-trained youngster his head and he strode away in the manner of smart horse to beat Perfect Angel. It was a memorable race for the stallion Dark Angel, who sired the first and second home.
Cox said: “He is potentially very good and one to keep us warm through the winter. I would say that is it for the year, but he’s probably a Commonwealth Cup sort of horse.”
Algometer, absent since finishing seventh in the Derby, made a triumphant return beating Dartmouth in the Dubai Duty Free Legacy Cup.
David Simcock, the winning trainer, said: “There will be one more start but we’ve not quite decided where that will be. “We might look abroad and take a look at the top level contests abroad.”
Sir Michael Stoute, who trains Dartmouth for The Queen, said: “The Canadian International is a possibility. His next race will be abroad.”
Cotai Glory clawed his way to Group Three success with a narrow success in the Dubai International Airport World Trophy.
The big race at Newmarket was the Betfred Cesarewitch Trial which was won in taking style by Penglai Pavilion. This Charlie Appleby-trained six year-old has bundles of class, as he finished fifth in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe three years ago behind Treve, and he showed on Saturday that he also has possesses stamina aplenty coming home three lengths clear of The Cashel Man.
