Two leading fancies for the Ladbroke (Ayr) Gold Cup - Compton Banker and Duke Of Modena - have been ruled out of the £100,000 handicap.
The duo, 10-1 and 16-1 respectively with the sponsors, will both will be re-routed to Ascot`s Festival meeting the following weekend.
Compton Banker had been as short as 7-1 with Ladbrokes for the prestigious handicap following his impressive win in last week`s Tote Trifecta Portland at Doncaster.
However, a spokeswoman for trainer Gerard Butler explained: 'The horse definitely won`t run at Ayr, the ground won`t be fast enough for him.
'All being well he`ll go to Ascot for the Diadem Stakes.'
The going at Ayr has eased and is now described as soft.
Duke Of Modena will not be travelling to Ayr as the fuel crisis is causing accommodation problems at the course.
Carlisle and Hamilton are offering space as the 190 boxes at Ayr are not enough to cope with all the horses as trainers send their runners to the track in one go.
The gelding was on his way to Scotland when trainer Toby Balding was informed there might not be a box for the three-year-old at the track.
Balding said: 'Duke Of Modena is a non-runner in the Ayr Gold Cup.
'They can`t guarantee him a box at Ayr, the stables are full, and they are diverting horses to Hamilton.
'So as he`s a bit of a worrier we`ve decided to abort the trip.
'Thankfully he`s got an alternative engagement at Ascot the following week in the Tote Trifecta Handicap.'
Ayr clerk of the course Richard Pridham was sympathetic to Balding`s plight.
He said: 'I understand Toby`s position.
'His horse is highly-strung and he didn`t think it would be suited by staying at Hamilton before travelling to Ayr on the day.'
However, Ho Leng, who earlier in the week looked set to run at Newbury on Saturday because of the likelihood of soft ground at Ayr, could still take part in the big race for local trainer Linda Perratt.
She explained: 'Ho Leng is still 50-50. I don`t really want to run him at Ayr but it`s a big pot and the owners are keen to have a crack.
'I`ve been in constant touch with Mark Kershaw at Newbury and he told me that there is a lot of rain forecast so it could be that the ground will be almost the same there anyway in which case it would hardly be worth making a 800-mile round trip.'
Latest Ladbroke Ayr Gold Cup betting:
Ladbrokes: 7-1 Pepperdine, Tayseer, 10-1 Marsad, 12-1 Roseum, 14-1 Night Flight, Rudik, 16-1 Always Alight, Delegate, Guinea Hunter, 20-1 bar.
William Hill bet: 6-1 Pepperdine, 7-1 Tayseer, 12-1 Marsad, Roseum, 14-1 Night Flight, 16-1 Always Alight, Delegate, Guinea Hunter, 20-1 bar.
