Talking Horses: They're off at Ayr after delayed start to Flat season


Drainage work problems have plagued the track since the Ayr Gold Cup was transferred to Haydock in 2017

It has been a long time coming but Ayr’s Flat racing season gets underway on Wednesday, when the track’s executives will hope to draw a final line under a troubled period in the course’s 248-year history.

Three meetings at Ayr have been abandoned already this year because the course took longer than expected to recover from drainage work over the winter, and that was in turn carried out to address problems identified after the entire Western meeting in September – the most prestigious event of the year on the Flat in Scotland – was lost in 2017.

Related: Aidan O’Brien team favouring Epsom bid with Derby favourite Sir Dragonet

Ayr 2.00 Mellad 2.30 Mr Shelby 3.05 Universal Gleam 3.35 Friendly Advice (nap) 4.05 Vivianite (nb) 4.35 Maulesden May 5.05 War Advocate 5.40 Betty Grable

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