Scotland’s premier racecourse is backing Kilmarnock and Ayr United in the Ayrshire clubs’ bids to reach the semi-finals of the Scottish Cup on the weekend of 10-13 March.
Ayr stages its final meeting before the Coral Scottish Grand National Festival on Friday 10 March and Saturday 11 March and two races on the Friday card have been named in support of the two clubs’ efforts to win their quarter final matches that weekend.
The Good Luck Killie in Scottish Cup Maiden Hurdle will be run at 3.10pm on the Friday with the Good Luck Ayr in Scottish Cup Handicap Chase rounding off a 6-race card at 4.20pm.
Derek McInnes’ Kilmarnock travel north on the Friday night to take on Billy Dodds’ Inverness Caledonian Thistle with the New Cumnock born Caley Thistle coach determined to knock out his fellow Ayrshire men.
Kilmarnock won their third Scottish Cup (from 8 Finals) in 1997 while Inverness won the tournament in 2015.
Lee Bullen takes his Ayr United side on the shorter journey to face League One Falkirk in the final tie of the round on the Monday evening, with Ayr just two matches away from emulating the side which reached the Scottish League Cup Final under Gordon Dalziel in 2002.
Premiership Kilmarnock reached the quarter-finals after wins over Dumbarton (home) and Dundee United (away) while Championship Ayr United took a slightly longer route to the quarter-final stage with wins over Pollok (home), Cove Rangers (away) and Elgin City (home).
Ayr Racecourse stages the Virgin Bet Raceday on Saturday 11 March with the first race at 1.35pm while the opening race on Friday’s card is due off at 1.30pm.
The Coral Scottish Grand National Festival takes place on Friday and Saturday, 21 and 22 April with the prize money for Scotland’s top jumps race boosted this year to £200,000.