A Proper Friday Afternoon at the Races

Right, pull up a stool and let me tell you about Ripon on a Friday in July — because if you weren't watching, you missed yourself a fine day's racing. Three Listed contests, a Class 2 sprint handicap named after the great Battaash himself, and a staying marathon that would have tested the lungs of a mountain goat. The Ripon racecard today was as meaty a flat card as you'll find outside of a Group day, and fair play to the racecourse for putting it together. The going, based on a soil moisture reading of 43% at midday Tuesday, was likely riding on the quicker side of good — perfect for the speedsters, and no great inconvenience to the stayers either. Let's get into it.

The Feature: Gala Stakes Shapes Up A Treat

The Davies Insurance Solutions Gala Stakes over a mile and a furlong and a bit was the race I had circled in red from the moment the entries came out, and it did not disappoint as a betting puzzle. You had Sallaal (Ray Dawson) going off as the form pick on a rating of 119 — top of the pile by some distance on official marks — and the question all week was whether that lofty figure reflected a horse at the peak of his powers or one that the handicapper had caught up with at last.

Against him, Persica (Ryan Moore, rated 114) carried the course-and-distance form that you simply cannot ignore at a track like Ripon, where the undulations and that sweeping bend into the straight reward horses who know the job. Moore doesn't travel to North Yorkshire for the craic — when he takes a Listed ride up here, you sit up and take notice. Royal Rhyme (Clifford Lee, rated 113) was another with course-and-distance experience, and Clifford Lee is a man who knows this track better than most. Boiling Point (James Doyle, rated 112) and Dividend (Rossa Ryan, rated 112) completed a field where every single runner had something going for them. Glacius (Billy Loughnane, rated 106) was the outsider of the party on ratings but Loughnane has been in cracking form all summer and you'd never fully dismiss his claims.

This was a race where the margins at the line were always going to be tight, and the one to watch going forward from this field is whoever finishes best in the straight — because a well-run mile-plus Listed on decent ground in early July is exactly the form that translates to the better staying handicaps and Pattern races later in the season.

Sprint Thrills: The Battaash Handicap and the Dragon Stakes

God, I love a five-furlong dash, and Ripon gave us two of them back-to-back to open the afternoon. The HKJC World Pool Battaash Handicap at 13:50 was a Class 2 worth £25,000 and every one of the five runners held course-and-distance form. Havana Hurricane (Charles Bishop, rated 100) was the top-rated and Bishop has been quietly excellent this season — underrated as a jockey, if you ask me, and well worth following when he gets on a horse with a bit of ability. Comical Point with Ryan Moore aboard at a mark of 96 looked the danger, and you'd want to be brave to take Moore on in a small field sprint when he's clearly fancied.

Then just 35 minutes later came the Coral Dragon Stakes, a Listed race worth £45,000 over the same trip. Now this was a fascinating contest. Ronson (Rowan Scott, rated 90) and Miss Lizzy (Paddy Bradley, rated 90) were joint-top on official ratings, but Listed races aren't won on ratings alone — they're won on the day, on the draw, on who's travelling sweetest at halfway. Bint Archange (Ryan Moore, rated 84) looked underrated on her mark, and Moore again — the man was earning his corn today. Underdog (Saffie Osborne, rated 84) carried course-and-distance form and Saffie is a jockey going places at serious pace. It Dunt Marra (Rossa Ryan, unrated) was the intriguing unknown quantity — no official rating often means a horse either isn't good enough or hasn't been asked the question properly yet. Worth keeping an eye on wherever that one turns up next.

The Coral Marathon: Staying Power on Show

Two miles and fifty yards around Ripon on a summer afternoon — this is the kind of race that sorts out your proper stayers from your mile-and-a-halfers having a day out. The Coral Marathon (Listed, £60k) was dominated in the market by Lazy Griff (Billy Loughnane, rated 113), and rightly so — top-rated and a horse who has been crying out for this sort of test all season. Furthur (James Doyle, rated 108) is a reliable sort who Doyle knows well, and the partnership always gives you a good sight of things. Paradias (Rossa Ryan, rated 107) had course-and-distance experience which counts for plenty over this sort of trip, and Duke of Oxford (Ryan Moore, rated 102) — well, Moore on a stayer always makes you think twice, even if the rating suggests he's got plenty to find.

Lady Vivian (Hector Crouch, rated 94) was the outsider on ratings but don't sleep on Crouch — he's a jockey who rides waiting races beautifully, and in a slowly-run staying Listed, that skill is worth a few lengths. This race will throw up a horse for the Goodwood Cup entries or one of the autumn staying handicaps, mark my words.

Ones To Follow From the Handicaps

The bread and butter of a Friday card is often where the real value lies for the punter, and today's handicaps at Ripon were no different. A few names I've scribbled down in the notebook:

  • Arqoob (James Doyle, rated 87, 1m6f handicap) — top-rated in the JRA Handicap and Doyle doesn't waste his time on horses without a chance. Course-and-distance form ticks the box. If he runs well here, he could be aimed at something better before the summer's out.
  • Ascending Star (Callum Rodriguez, rated 80, 1m handicap) — highest-rated in the Debenhams Handicap and Rodriguez knows the north of England tracks inside out. A bold show here and he could be one for a Class 3 next time.
  • Macari (Rose Dawes, rated 80) — course-and-distance form in the staying handicap and an apprentice claiming valuable pounds. The combination of track knowledge and a weight allowance is dangerous.
  • Epictetus (Saffie Osborne, rated 79) — course-and-distance form in the mile handicap. Saffie's booking is always significant and this horse clearly goes well around Ripon.

Final Thoughts: A Day Well Spent in North Yorkshire

All in all, Ripon put on a show today that any flat racing fan could be proud of. Three Listed races, a sprint double-header, and a genuine staying test — that's a card with something for everyone. The sprint form from the Dragon Stakes will be worth following into the summer's big five-furlong handicaps and Pattern races, while the Gala Stakes and Marathon form should filter through into the better staying and middle-distance races at Goodwood, York and beyond.

Keep an eye on the Ripon racecard for the full results and replay details as they come through. And if any of those handicappers I've flagged pop up at a track near you in the coming weeks, don't say I didn't warn you. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've a pint to finish and a racecard to study for tomorrow. Sláinte.