The Go Racing In Yorkshire Summer Festival: Four things to watch out for (Part One)
The Go Racing In Yorkshire Summer Festival kicks off at Ripon on Saturday and Ben Linfoot picks out four things to look out for in the first half of the eight-day extravaganza.
Just when you thought racing might hit a lull between the July Meeting and the King George along comes the Sky Bet-sponsored Go Racing In Yorkshire Summer Festival or The GRIYSF (pronounced gr-ee-fs) for short.
Now in its 11th year The GRIYSF serves as a showcase to all that is great about Yorkshire racing, with Ripon kicking things off on Saturday July 21 and Pontefract closing the show on Sunday July 29.
Racing from Redcar, Beverley, Catterick, Doncaster, Thirsk and a York double-header is sandwiched in between with the latter track hosting the Sky Bet Dash and Sky Bet York Stakes, as well as Tom Jones and Boyzone, on their Friday evening-Saturday afternoon double header.
Matt Brocklebank has provided a full guide here to the week-and-a-day-long extravaganza, while Ben Linfoot takes a look at the five-day declarations and picks out four things to look out for during the first three days of The GRIYSF at Ripon, Redcar and Beverley…
Mark Johnston’s selected three-year-old in the Ripon Bell-Ringer Handicap
With three-year-olds getting 11lb on the weight-for-age scale in the Ripon Bell-Ringer Handicap over 1m4f it is no surprise to see Mark Johnston enter four such qualifiers in the feature race at Yorkshire’s Garden Racecourse on Saturday.
Indeed, only five three-year-olds are entered at the five-day stage and if any of Johnston’s quartet (Lynwood Gold, Elegiac, Lucky Deal and Bayshore Freeway) get in towards the bottom of the weights they are well worth a second look.
Johnston won this race with a three-year-old in 2016 when Soldier In Action made all and if Elegiac takes his chance he could well attempt to repeat the feat from the front given his progressive profile and preference for taking the lead.
He was thrown in at the deep end for his handicap debut in the King George V Stakes at Royal Ascot and performed admirably in 10th position, before winning at Hamilton and finishing a good third back at Ascot last Saturday.
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1⃣ What stain @BenLinfoot is covering up with a prestigious trophy
2⃣ Why there was a 4ft cardboard cut out of him at Ripon races
3⃣ Whether it got stolen or ended up in a museum
4⃣ Fish and chips at Ripon
5⃣ 'The dead centre of Redcar'
Course specialists in the VW Van Centre Handicap over a mile at Ripon
Horses that have been there and done it often come to the fore when returning to Ripon’s undulations and there is no shortage of course specialists to choose from in the VW Van Centre Handicap on Saturday.
Two For Two, Kharbetation, Acrux, Weellan and Shouranour have all won over the mile at Ripon before and the last-named did so in this very race last year.
Rated 83 when winning the 2017 renewal, Shouranour is fully a stone lighter in the weights now following 11 successive defeats since that victory at Ripon. However, he was second off his new mark over the course and distance last time and now looks handicapped to have a big say.
Shouranour is eight now, but Two For Two has two years on him and it’s fully five years since he won over the track and trip back in the spring of 2013 off a mark of 90. He’s rated 83 now and is nine races without a win.
Acrux and Kharbetation are two five-year-olds trained by David O’Meara and both have much more recent winning form at Ripon.
The former beat the aforementioned Shouranour off a mark of 70 on July 9 and has been raised 4lb for that success, while Kharbetation is now 3lb higher than when winning at Ripon two starts ago on June 21.
Finally, O’Meara’s three-year-old Weellan is the most unexposed of the course-and-distance winning quintet. Three-year-olds get 8lb from their elders in this and Weellan won a 14-runner handicap over the track and trip on May 30 by a neck (he’s 9lb higher now).
Don't miss... the Sky Bet Go Racing In Yorkshire Summer Festival Tipping Challenge
Orion’s Bow and his latest attempt to snap his losing streak
Rated 106 in his pomp and second in a Stewards’ Cup off just 3lb lower than that figure, Orion’s Bow has seen better days but his rapid slide down the weights must result in a reversal of his fortunes sooner rather than later.
At the start of last season he made his debut for Tim Easterby off a rating of 105, but, if he runs at Redcar on Sunday in the Sky Bet Go-Racing-In-Yorkshire Summer Festival Handicap, he takes part off 85 following 14 successive defeats for his new stable.
He’s only seven, though, and he was only beaten just over two lengths off 87 at Thirsk last time after looking a real threat just before the final furlong.
In the past he’s won in blinkers a couple of times, so it’s worth noting if Easterby reaches for headgear for the first time at Cleveland’s seaside track.
Desert Ace’s bid for a Beverley hat-trick on Monday
Aside from the Samba dancers there is plenty to feast your eyes on at Beverley on Monday evening including Paul Midgley’s Desert Ace in the Jaimie Kerr Memorial Handicap over five furlongs (7.00).
The seven-year-old sprinter has struggled away from The Westwood this season but he’s two from three at Beverley, including his last two, where he’s won off marks of 72 and 73.
His finishing efforts in those two runs were decisive, so he clearly enjoys the stiff finish and he’ll attempt to land the hat-trick off the ceiling rating of 75 on Monday.
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