Plenty are going for Gold on a huge day for racing in Britain and beyond

In a nutshell

They have overcome a drainage disaster, bleak gusts from Storm Ali and a touch of rail strife to put the show on. Now the hard work begins.

The false patch of ground that wiped out last year's William Hill Ayr Gold Cup has been fixed, herculean efforts were made to avoid wind damage and shuttle buses are running to help the 3,000-odd folk hoping to come by train via the town's slightly incapacitated station.

But that's nothing. Now you have to find the winner of a 25-runner 6f handicap in which all bar one favourite have been beaten since 1996.