Winning trainer Karl Burke reacts to beating 1/25 favourite at Ripon

Just two fillies were declared for the William Hill Ripon Champion Bonus 2023 Maiden Fillies' Stakes, with the William Haggas-trained Doom, an 82-rated daughter of Dubawi having her fifth start, sent off at 1/25 to beat the Burke-trained newcomer.

However, Karmology (9/1) had other ideas and despite being matched at 110 on the Betfair Exchange at one point during the race, ultimately got up to win by a comfortable length.

"I wasn't totally surprised, no," Burke said on the Nick Luck Daily Podcast.

"But on paper and on form Doom did look a bit of a good thing. We were just going there for a day out and for the experience, expecting the race to be six or seven runners close to home.

"I said to the owners that she's really a mile and a quarter filly but when you look at the programme book, there weren't races for her in mid-September. So rather than keep galloping her at home we might as well take her to the track for the mile fillies' race and give her a day out.

"I didn't expect the race to break up to two runners, that's what did surprise me."

In the upper echelons, Burke has Group 1 glory in his sights on both sides of the Irish Sea this weekend, although Spycatcher is something of a doubtful runner in the Betfair Sprint Cup Stakes at Haydock due to the prospect of unseasonably fast ground.

The trainer said of his five-year-old, who was beaten a short-head in the top-class Maurice de Gheest at Deauville last month: "It will all be down to the lap of the Gods, he's very much a soft ground horse and he needs a little bit of rain.

"Either that or Kirkland (Tellwright, Clerk of the Course) leaves the taps on for 24 hours for us, and I'm not sure that's going to happen!"

Burke is almost certainly set to be represented at the Irish Champions Festival, including Fallen Angel in the Moyglare Stud Stakes at the Curragh on Sunday.

He said of the impressive Sweet Solera Stakes winner: "It's all systems go to send her there and Danny Tudhope will ride.

"I think she's a very promising filly and she seems in great form. The more she's done the more relaxed she's become which is great.

"As usual, the O'Briens seem to have the key to the race and have half the field that are left in at the moment, but we're happy to take them on.

"I'm hoping to keep her and Darnation apart and it looks like there's some rain around next week which is great so she (Darnation) should hopefully turn up at Doncaster for the Group 2 fillies' race over a mile."

Burke is also expected to run Dramatised on Sunday's Curragh card, with the trainer hoping to get her back to peak form for the Al Basti Equiworld, Dubai Flying Five Stakes. Otherwise, it could be a swansong outing for the three-year-old daughter of Showcasing.

Burke said: "She's run twice at York and disappointed twice, no whether that's the composition of the ground there - it's very much a sandy-based soil - I don't know. Danny was in yesterday and rode her in a piece of work and he was saying he felt she was just wheel spinning at York.

"That said, when you're in against these older horses, she very much looks a female against them and she hasn't bulked up like a true sprinter should.

"It's a shot to nothing and we had the Breeders' Cup in mind but you wouldn't want to send her there on the back of the York run, so fingers crossed. She looks fantastic and she owes us nothing and hopefully she'll run a nice race to allow us to send her to the Breeders' Cup, but if not I'd have thought she'll be retired to the paddocks."

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