John Ingles provides an overview of the key things to note on Friday.
Course winner Pike Road of interest back over hurdles
While there’s racing at Ascot, York and Sandown this Friday, we’ll concentrate instead on some interesting runners at some of the lesser meetings, starting with Pike Road in the handicap hurdle at Uttoxeter over two and a half miles (16:25).
Martin Keighley sends him quickly back over the smaller obstacles after another failed attempt at chasing at Worcester at the start of the month where his jumping was again an issue. He had a couple of goes over fences last autumn too and might have won at the second attempt at Ludlow but for unseating late on. But he was promptly switched back to hurdles after that and gained a second win under the trainer’s son Freddie who can still claim a handy 5 lb here.
That win came under a positive ride at this course last November over a longer trip and Pike Road has a more recent good effort over hurdles to his name at Worcester last month. Making the running again, he rallied before going down by three lengths to revitalised rival Ebony Warrior, running his best race yet. A repeat of that effort makes him an interesting runner at likely odds, especially if the replacement of his usual cheekpieces with a visor has a positive effect over this shorter trip.
Sixty Plus potentially well treated in first Flat handicap
This time last year, Sixty Plus was in the process of running up a four-timer over hurdles, a winning spree that sent his BHA mark rocketing from 76 to 124. He’s therefore another very good example of the sort of improvement that James Owen can conjure from horses acquired from other yards, though the handicapper caught up with him in the end.
That called for the six-year-old to have his attentions switched to the Flat in the hope of more opportunities and he gets his first chance in a handicap on the level in the mile and a half contest at Thirsk (16:53). Some shrewd campaigning has got him in on a mark of 64 which could well prove lenient given the level of his form over hurdles.
Sixty Plus has had three quick qualifying runs this summer and caught the eye on the most recent one at Pontefract when he wasn’t given at all a hard time, making some late headway to finish sixth behind Steel Raven in a maiden over a mile and a quarter, earning the ‘Horse In Focus’ flag. The step back up in trip will suit, and with cheekpieces on for the first time on the Flat and Rossa Ryan booked, Sixty Plus has plenty in his favour heading the Timeform weight-adjusted ratings with better to come.
In-form Eutropia well in at the weights
Gloucestershire trainer Adrian Wintle enjoyed his best ever Flat campaign in 2026 with 26 winners and may well be on course to better that total with 18 on the board so far this year. The stable’s runners have been in good form this month with four wins, including a double at Bath last week, and there have been some near-misses since, all of which has contributed to the ‘Hot Trainer’ flag.
Four-year-old filly Eutropia has done her bit for the yard’s success this year, winning three times in the spring, including landing back-to-back races at Bath in April, and has continued in good heart since with the prospect of another victory in the mile handicap at Chepstow (19:01).
Eutropia has suffered narrow defeats in her last two runs, finishing well clear of the rest when beaten a head at Salisbury and again pulling clear of the others when finishing well from off the pace to be beaten a neck by improving three-year-old Trio at Epsom last week. Eutropia earned the ‘Horse In Focus’ flag for that last run and will have to race from a 3 lb higher mark in future. She’s therefore well in at the weights here, and fully 5 lb clear in the Timeform adjusted ratings, so has an excellent chance of returning to winning ways.
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