Wednesday 19 September 2012 15:59, UK
Rae Guest is confident Mirza will show up well in Saturday's William Hill Ayr Gold Cup despite a three-month lay-off from the track.
Mirza is a general 25/1 chance in the ante-post lists which are headed by Jim Goldie's Hawkeyethenoo at 12s with Waffle, from the David Barron yard, next in at 16s. And Barron, who also has Colonel Mak in the race, may have to settle for a Silver Cup berth for another of his stable stars. "Colonel Mak and Waffle are both definites for the Gold Cup. They are both happy on easy ground," he told Racing UK. "Pearl Ice needs three to come out and if he misses the big one, he'll go for the Silver Cup. I'm almost certain he'll be fine on the ground. "My biggest problem with him is I thought he was a big, soft brute. I gelded him and he's quite a lot lighter than he was when he was a colt, maybe to the point I would like a little bit more on him. "He works like quite a nice horse, but this particular time, whether he would just have the bottle to win a race like that, I'd be wary. "Elusive Prince will go for the Silver Cup, but wouldn't want it too soft sadly. It's a bit unlikely to suit him."
