Referendum is crying out to be backed in today's £75,000-added Ladbroke Ayr Gold Cup. Trainer Geoff Lewis, who rode Be Friendly to win the race in 1967, has predicted that his four-year-old will "take all the beating", prompting Referendum to be backed from 25 to 1 down to 12 to 1. It is easy to see why.

Referendum was one of the leading two-year-olds of his generation, finishing a neck second to Desert King in the Group One National Stakes at the Curragh and then fourth to Revoque in Grand Criterium at Longchamp.

Injury and illness disrupted his second season and the colt was having only his second start in 16 months when finishing second to subsequent scorer Easycall in a five-furlong conditions contest at Leicester a week ago.

That run alone gives Referendum a good shout and he will be very well suited by this step up to six furlongs and the likely softish ground.

As if one 29-runner sprint is not enough to solve, there is another, the £15,000-added Ladbroke Ayr Silver Cup. Indian Spark should finish thereabouts.

His trainer, Glasgow-based Jim Goldie, has had an excellent season, his best yet, and Indian Spark has played his part with two wins.

The latest of those came at Doncaster last week when the four-year-old got home by a short-head from Levelled over five furlongs.

He is equally effective at six, acts with some give in the ground and has run well here in the past.

Jack Hanson boasts a terrific record at Ayr over the years and Bergen, the mount of veteran jockey Ernie Johnson, is interesting in the £25,000-added Ladbrokes Ayrshire Handicap.

He looked set to be something good last season but has only run three times this year. However, on his latest start at York, he ran a great race to be one and a half lengths third of 24 to Pride of Pendle.

Bergen comes here nice and fresh and should represent decent value.

At Newbury, Generous Libra offers the obvious solution to the £75,000 Courage Handicap.

A typical John Dunlop-trained "improver", Generous Libra has only a 5lb penalty for two comfortable victories, over Supply And Demand at Epsom and most recently by four lengths from Shadoof at the same course.

It has to be stressed that today, as is always the case at this time of year, is a day when punters should not throw the kitchen sink at the bookies but Generous Libra is a good horse to have on your side.

And those who like to throw in an out-and-out banker would be disappointed if Glamorgan fails to oblige in the Autumn Juvenile Novices' Selling Hurdle at Market Rasen.