Ayr Placepot picks: Paul Kealy's perm for guaranteed £100,000 pool on day one of the Scottish National meeting

There's a big field for Ayr's opener (1.15), but the front two in the betting are very much the standouts, so I'll stick them both in the Placepot and move on.

Shelikesthelights is 5lb well in, under her 7lb penalty for last week's runaway win, while Afadil, who is up just 1lb for his second to Blueking D'Oroux at Ascot, got a boost when the winner was second of 20 under a 7lb penalty at Aintree.

In the next (1.50), Young Buster ought to have more to come as he is upped to 3m for the first time under rules, while Twin Power got bogged down in the mud at Sandown and is much better than that. He should stay well.

The third (2.25) may have only five runners, but it's tight enough. Idalko Bihoue will be one of the outsiders, but he's been overfaced on his last two starts and has a very good chance at these weights. Hugos New Horse is just preferred of the others.

The ground surely won't be far off good and Killer Clown, who was the outsider in the early betting of the fourth (3.00), is the only one in the field really at home on the surface. We'd better add another one, though, as he has been out of form, and Bass Rock, a winner at the meeting before and likely to come on for his latest disappointing effort, is the suggestion.

Get A Tonic won the fifth (3.35) last year and is only 4lb higher, but Aurora Thunder, upsides when coming down at the last, is 8lb lower and has to go in too.

It's a case of all the eggs in one basket for the last (4.10) as Snowy Clouds has won his last two very easily and is 3lb well in under his penalty.

Ayr Placepot perm

1.15
10 Afadil
12 Shelikesthelights

1.50
6 Twin Power
9 Young Buster

2.25
2 Hugos New Horse
5 Idalko Bihoue

3.00
2 Killer Clown
4 Bass Rock

3.35
1 Get A Tonic
7 Aurora Thunder

4.10
5 Snowy Clouds

2x2x2x2x2x1= 32 lines

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