Tickets refunded for Ayr Gold Cup after uncertainty over crowd restrictions

Scotland's biggest Flat race is likely to go ahead without a crowd after officials at Ayr announced they would refund all tickets and stop sales for the three-day Ayr Gold Cup meeting due to uncertainty over crowd restrictions in light of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Last week, Scotland's first minister Nicola Sturgeon confirmed plans to open sporting venues for the public from September 14, with limited crowd sizes and strict social distancing measurements in place.

A pilot rugby match at Murrayfield is scheduled for Friday with 700 spectators permitted.

It is not clear, however, whether venues will be able to open on that date and how many spectators will be able to attend events and officials at Ayr have started the process of refunding tickets.

The course has not ruled out a small crowd if they are permitted and are currently "monitoring the situation" ahead of the meeting on September 17 to 19.

Ayr Gold Cup entries

The lockdown in Britain forced the cancellation of the Scottish National in April, the biggest raceday of the year at Ayr. In 2019, 18,500 attended National day and 12,000 were at the racecourse to witness Angel Alexander's surprise win in the Ayr Gold Cup.

A statement from Ayr read: "Following the announcement last Thursday by the Scottish government that if the Covid-19 outbreak remains under control sports stadia will be able to reopen from September 14.

"We have sought further guidance with regard to crowds at the Ayr Gold Cup festival.

Chil Chil: favourite for this year's Ayr Gold CupCredit: Alan Crowhurst

"Unfortunately at this stage it's still unclear how many spectators will be allowed and because of this uncertainty we have decided to stop selling tickets and refund all admission tickets for the festival.

"We'll continue to monitor the situation on a daily basis and if the situation becomes clearer within the required time frame we'll advise accordingly."

Entries were released on Wednesday for the QTS Ayr Gold Cup, with Stewards' Cup winner Summerghand topping the weights for the race. Chil Chil is 12-1 ante-post favourite with William Hill.

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