← Honest Record · Pick Winner · Mr Fox

Tennent's Lager Handicap Stakes (GBBPlus Race)

17:01 Ayr Thu 17 Sep 2026 1m5f26y Class 3 Good to Soft 12 runners

View the racecard →

Mr Fox’s call

Spirit of Acklam silks

Spirit of Acklam

SPECULATIVE Advised 7/2 Est. 30%

🥈 2ND

Mr Fox says

Spirit of Acklam (SR 90, 7/2) is the joint-highest rated runner in the field and carries the lightest weight of the top-SR horses at 9-0, giving it a meaningful pounds advantage over Ashnak (SR 89, 9-9) and Elsass (SR 82, 9-6). Critically, it holds two wins and three places at Ayr — the strongest course record in the field — and is proven at today's distance (DistFit:+), ticking both the course-specialist and trip-suitability boxes simultaneously. The market has shortened 18% since opening, confirming stable confidence in a yard (Michael & David Easterby) that fires at 10% across a large sample, and the last-run form figure of 3 (a place effort) at Class 4 before stepping back up to Class 3 suggests it is primed after a sharpener. The one reservation is stepping up a class tier (ClassMv:↑1), but the SR, weight, course form and market support collectively outweigh that concern. Each-way alternative: Minstrel Knight. Main danger: Ashnak — Ashnak (SR 89, 3/1) has steamed in 35% in the market with Daniel Tudhope booked — clearly the O'Meara yard's number-one runner — and at 9-9 is dropping a class tier, though the unknown distance and going fit (both DistFit:? and GoingFit:?) at this 1m5f trip on good-to-soft is the only thing keeping it from being the outright selection.

Verify· #18258

Full result

Winner: Pearl Eye (GB) at SP 17/2. Mr Fox’s picks highlighted in gold.

  1. 1 Pearl Eye silks Pearl Eye Jim Goldie · Rhys Elliott(5) 11/1
  2. 2 Spirit of Acklam silks Spirit of Acklam Fox #1 Michael & David Easterby · Joanna Mason 5/1
  3. 3 Northwest Passage silks Northwest Passage Ivan Furtado · Jason Hart 8/1
  4. 4 Ashnak silks Ashnak Fox #2 David O'Meara · Daniel Tudhope 11/4
  5. 5 Humble Spark silks Humble Spark Jim Goldie · Lauren Young(5) 12/1
  6. 6 High Point silks High Point Iain Jardine · Andrew Mullen 50/1
  7. 7 Elsass silks Elsass Fox #4 Charlie Johnston · Saffie Osborne 11/2
  8. 8 Golden West silks Golden West Tim Easterby · David Allan 6/1
  9. 9 Azahara Palace silks Azahara Palace Adrian Keatley · M. P. Sheehy 18/1
  10. 10 Minstrel Knight silks Minstrel Knight Fox #3 Edward Bethell · Oisin Orr 13/2
  11. 11 Strassia silks Strassia David O'Meara · David Nolan 28/1
  12. — Moon Over Miami silks Moon Over Miami Ralph Beckett · Hector Crouch -

Top 4 — how each finished

  1. 1 Spirit of Acklam silks Spirit of Acklam 7/2 🥈 2ND
  2. 2 Ashnak silks Ashnak 3/1 🏁 4TH
  3. 3 Minstrel Knight silks Minstrel Knight 15/2 10TH
  4. 4 Elsass silks Elsass 9/2 7TH