Leading flat jockey Hollie Doyle is at Ripon on Saturday and looks to have a good book of rides including one in the feature Silver Sprint Trophy.
EMPIRE CAN CONQUER RIPON FEATURE
Ripon is renowned for its competitive sprint handicaps and Saturday’s Class 2 Silver Sprint Trophy Handicap (4.10) is no exception.
I’m looking forward to riding local trainer David O’Meara’s NOMADIC EMPIRE in the 5f dash and expect him to run a big race on a track he’s gone well on in the past.
He’s nicely drawn in stall seven and proved at Doncaster and Haydock Park last autumn that he’s comfortable on the forecast easy ground.
Since then Al Mohamediya Racing’s five-year-old has won the valuable Al Manama Cup in Bahrain and looks fairly treated on a mark of 94.
PIRATE READY TO PLUNDER NOVICE STAKES TREASURE
My boss Archie Watson’s two-year-old DREADPIRATEROBERTS pleased us on debut at Brighton and can go one better in the Black-A-Moor Inn Half A Mile Away EBF Restricted Novice Stakes (2.25).
He’s a lovely honest son of Archie’s Royal Ascot winner Soldier’s Call who bumped into a nice prospect on the south coast – Eve Johnson Houghton’s Revenue – but will be better for the experience.
He handled Brighton’s idiosyncrasies well enough to suggest he’ll cope with the infamous ridges at the Garden Racecourse so can take a step forward even though he makes a quick re-appearance.
Dreadpirateroberts renews rivalry with Richard Hannon’s Quandil, who was just behind him at Brighton, so hopefully we’ll have the upper hand once again.
HOPING TO RIDE MY FIRST WINNER FOR MALTON TRAINER
I’ve only ridden for Adrian Keatley six times but must have a good chance of getting into the winner’s enclosure for the first time for the Malton trainer in the Ripon Races Ladies Day 22nd June Handicap (5.50).
I’m on last-time-out winner ANOTHER BAAR who got off the mark at the fourth attempt on his handicap debut over course and distance at the opening fixture last week.
He’s been raised 6lb for that success but gets into this better race off a light weight and is well enough drawn to put up another big performance. He’s also by Mayson so should appreciate any cut in the ground.
WATSON’S NEW RECRUIT HAS CLAIMS OFF LAST WINNING MARK
Saturday will be the first time I’ve sat on Archie Watson’s new recruit AADDEEY, who makes his stable debut in the M. C. H. Hutchinson Memorial Trophy Handicap (4.40).
This 1m4f handicap will be a learning curve but Archie’s been pleased with him following wind surgery and if he can run up to his best form he must have a serious chance in an open race.
He won off his latest mark at Doncaster in October 2021 for previous trainers Simon and Ed Crisford, beating one of Saturday’s key rivals Dark Jedi in similar underfoot conditions.
LAST LAUGH IN STAYERS’ HANDICAP?
OH HERBERTS REIGN won’t want for fitness in the Watch Sky Sports Racing in HD Handicap (5.15).
He’d been running well on the All-Weather without winning before posting a respectable effort at Windsor. I had a near miss on Richard Hannon’s reliable four-year-old at Haydock last May, when we went down by just a nose off a higher rating.
It’s would be nice to settle that score at Ripon! The Hugh Martin Memorial EBF Restricted Novice Stakes (3.00) looks a warm enough race with Yorkshireman William Haggas out to enhance his great record at the track with the improving Bleak.
I ride Archie Watson’s colt NATZOR, who made a pleasing start over 1m at Newcastle but then put in a below par performance at Yarmouth last time when he may have just got stuck in the soft ground. We’re hoping for a step back in the right direction before he graduates into handicaps.
Later, I link up with the Jennie Candlish team who run IT’S GOOD TO LAUGH in the Visit attheraces.com Handicap (3.35).
He stays well so should enjoy the stamina test over this 2m and won’t be lacking fitness either after running over hurdles recently.
MERLIN OUT TO WORK SOME MAGIC AT WINDSOR
I’ll be heading to Windsor on Monday to ride Imad Alsagar’s home bred three-year-old MERLIN THE WIZARD in the Gabby Fullbrook Memorial Novice Stakes (2.44).
I called in at Harry and Roger Charlton’s Beckhampton base in midweek to ride the son of Camelot, who is still a big baby but showed definite potential on his only previous start.
He was second in a Kempton Park novice last December when I was riding in Japan so I’m hopeful he can continue his education with another nice performance.
