Ayr Racecourse, on the west coast of Scotland, was moved to its current location, north of Ayr town centre, from nearby Seafield, in 1907. Nowadays, it is the premier racecourse – in fact, the only Grade 1 racecourse – north of the border and is best known for races such as the Ayr Gold Cup, run over 6 furlongs in September, and the Scottish National, run over 4 miles and 110 yards in April.
Course Characteristics
The round course at Ayr consists of a relatively flat, left-handed oval, approximately a mile and a half around. The straight course, on which the Ayr Gold Cup is run, is wide enough to safely accommodate 27 runners and descends slightly to its junction with the round course, where it ascends for two furlongs before levelling out just before the winning post. The National Hunt course consists of nine, moderately stiff fences, or six hurdles per circuit and, although fairly galloping in character, the faster the ground the sharper it becomes.
Track Facts
The Ayr Gold Cup, nowadays the most valuable sprint handicap in Europe, started life in 1804 as a two-mile race, run in two separate heats.
Dazzle (1889, 1890 and 1891) is the only horse to have won the Ayr Gold Cup three times.
Red Rum is the only horse ever to have completed the Grand National/Scottish National double in the same year (1974). The 2013 Grand National winner, Aurora’s Encore, attempted the feat but, after nearly being brought down at the second fence, was eventually pulled up in the Scottish National.
The Scottish National was transferred to Ayr following the closure of the nearby Bogside Racecourse in 1965.