Ayr Racecourse

The earliest recorded race at the old Seafield Race Course (Racecourse Road) was in the 1770s. In 1907 the Racecourse moved to Whitletts. The attraction of Ayr Races became wider than just within the town, attracting the horse racing fraternity from across Britain and Ireland to the present day.

The track at Ayr Racecourse at Whitletts Road is a left handed, oval track, thirteen furlongs in circumference, with a straight run-in of half a mile.There are courses for flat and for National Hunt racing.

The present racecourse also hosts a car boot sale and market every Sunday except when it conflicts with race fixtures.

The 6 furlong Ayr Gold Cup, run at the Western Meeting in September is one of the most competitive sprints in the Flat Racing calendar, attracting large crowds from all over the country.

Ayr Gold Cup

The Ayr Gold Cup is a flat horse race in the United Kingdom open to thoroughbreds which are three-years-old or above. It is run over a straight 6 furlongs (1,207 metres) at Ayr Racecourse, and it takes place annually in September.

It was first run in 1804 when the race was contested over two separate heats of 2 miles. This bears little resemblance to the much shorter race of today, which is now the richest sprint handicap in Europe. It was traditionally run on Friday, but moved to Saturday in the early 1990s.

The current maximum number of runners is 28, taken from the 28 highest weighted horses entered for the race. The next 28 in the list compete for the Ayr Silver Cup over the same course and distance one day earlier, and the result of this can sometimes hint at a possible draw advantage in the Ayr Gold Cup.