Glory for Bielsa and Kevin Stott in Ayr Gold Cup

Whilst Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa is struggling to get the best out of his team this season, another Bielsa enjoyed a moment to savour. Yes, the Kevin Ryan-trained thoroughbred is named after the famous football manager, and that name was up in lights after triumphing in the Ayr Gold Cup with jockey Kevin Stott in the saddle.

In many ways, it was a strange sort of race. From the very early stages, Stott pulled Bielsa towards the near flank, where they raced alone for much of the proceedings. The other entries were straddled across the course, with initial frontrunner Great Ambassador taking up a position on the far side. Meanwhile, Mr Wagyu made his presence felt as well, but he was streaking through the very centre of the field. It looked as though Great Ambassador was going to take victory, before Stott and Bielsa found another gear, powering up the near side to deliver a storming victory at the death.

It was a one-two-three of Bielsa, Great Ambassador and Mr Wagyu, with the three horses having used up the entire width of the course. It takes a lot of confidence for a jockey to go solo in the way that Stott did, and as he and Bielsa ploughed the lone furrow, all the attention was on horses towards the far side. The jockey had certainly gambled with his tactics, but it worked a treat, leaving Bielsa with the residual energy needed to engage turbo mode towards the end. Cue the celebrations. 

Trainer Ryan said afterwards: “I spoke to Alistair Donald (racing manager for winning owners King Power Racing) this morning and said ‘we’re on the rail, it’s fresh ground, and he likes to go that way anyway’. 

“It’s great to train a winner like this for King Power. They’ve been very patient with this horse and I’m chuffed really. He’s a very talented horse. It just hasn’t happened this year. Things go wrong and you get little niggles, but that’s what gets you an Ayr Gold Cup – they generally get there fresh and well.”

As Ryan says, Bielsa had not had a good season up until the win at Ayr. In fact, it had been nearly two years since he last won a race — the Vertem Leading The Field Handicap in October 2019 — and this latest victory is made all the more impressive by the fact that the gelding hasn’t quite hit the right notes in recent times. 

You felt that something had to give if Bielsa was to get back on the right track, be it a piece of good fortune or a tactical gamble like the one Stott executed. It was a pre-planned manoeuvre, and whilst many of the horse’s backers on the horse racing betting sites may have been scratching their heads in bewilderment, they were left dancing with delight in the end. 

Indeed, it’s fitting that Bielsa, a horse named after one of football’s most celebrated tacticians, executed such a finely tuned strategic move to land his victory. With Leeds yet to win a game in the Premier League this season, perhaps Marcelo could learn a thing or two from his equestrian namesake! 

Image Source