Jake Price’s Saturday Racing Tips at Ayr

The NAP on Scottish National Day comes in the proceeding race, where I really fancy Masaccio on his Handicap debut.

This 7yo has already enjoyed a successful campaign to date with a victory on debut over Beat The Bat (132) and most recently an easy 8.5L win at Kempton, but it's the two starts sandwiched in between that make him look so well Handicapped off 129. The first of those runs was when only beaten a nose by Jingko Blue (140) when attempting to give that rival 6lbs at Newbury, before he was then a decent 5th in the Grade 1 Challow Hurdle at Newbury. Stepping up in trip to 3m on Handicap debut shouldn't cause any issues.

Willie Mullins has stormed the Ayr card in sending 18 Horses across the Irish sea in a bid to win the British Trainers Championship. To my eye Bialystok is one of his best chances.

The drying ground at Ayr should be right up this 6yo's street as the last time he got some decent ground he was 7th (only beaten by five lengths) in the Galway Hurdle off 139. He's since gone on to finish 3L 4th in the Grade 1 Royal Bond Novices' Hurdle at Fairyhouse and was brought down when in strong contention at the Dublin Racing Festival.

The Heavy ground went against him in the County Hurdle so I'm happy to put a line through that run, and back on a nice flat track he should go close off 139, especially as he is the choice of stable jockey Paul Townend.

This doesn't look a vintage renewal of the Scottish Grand National, but at a big price I quite like each way chances of Autonomous Cloud.

This 8yo was sent off 9/2f for the Welsh National in December when disappointingly pulled up, but he bled from the nose that day in what turned out to be a brutal test of stamina. Forgiving that run then, he ran much better in the Midlands National after a break last month when finishing 4th in a first-time tongue tie, and if improving for that run he surely can be competitive on some nice ground at Ayr - especially with the trip being 2f shorter and his mark 1lb lower.