MANY of Yorkshire trainers name The William Hill Ayr Gold Cup as the race they would like to win the most, and many of them are quite good at working out what it takes.

In the last 12 years Dandy Nicholls has made a habit of winning it - six times it has gone to the ‘sprint king' - while the late David Chapman, Kevin Ryan and Richard Fahey have all been successful in getting their hands on the valuable prize.

This year the Yorkshire men are well represented and it is very easy to make a case for about ten in the line-up, however I think a couple of Newmarket raiders could spoil the party.

Mac's Power and Eton Rifles are the horses in question, both seeming suited by the underfoot conditions.

James Fanshawe, trainer of Mac's Power, is hoping his charge can give him a memorable success at Ayr.

"I don't think I've ever had a winner at Ayr, so hopefully we can turn things around," he said. "We came out of the draw fairly early and we decided we were going to go six, eight or 10.

"Unfortunately all the pace appears to have gone to the stands side. I hope it's not going to affect us too much.

"We'll just see who is the best judge - Dandy Nicholls or Richard Fahey. One has gone one side and one has gone the other.

"In these big sprints you need a lot of luck even if you have got the best horse in the race."

Fanshawe might just have the best horse; likewise David Elsworth has recently gained a smart individual in the shape of Eton Rifles who came to Elsworth after previous trainer Howard Johnson was warned off.

He made a winning start to the yard when staying on the best at Goodwood and could still have more to come. It's still a guessing game regarding the best draw but jockey Ted Durcan could have a choice where to go as he is drawn in the middle in stall 16.

The horses that failed to make the cut for the Gold Cup have their chance to shine in the consolation race, the William Hill Silver Cup at 2.15pm.

This could well go the way of the Dandy Nicholls yard with top weight Nasri who ran such a gallant race in the Stewards Cup at Goodwood last time out.

Nicholls is well-represented, saddling four in the line-up and Tax Free could be a big danger under the trainer's son Adrian but preference is for Nasri who is unexposed.

Nicholls senior wasn't keen to separate his quartet, saying: "Nasri's a very nice horse. It's tough he just missed the cut for the Gold Cup. He'd have a good chance.

"Everything we send up here has a big shout. All you need is a bit of luck."

Nicholls normally gets his luck at this meeting, let's hope it continues.