John Ingles provides an overview of the key things to note on Monday.
Three points of interest
Walford pair top rated at Ripon
Mark Walford has a couple of runners at Ripon, and both have leading chances in their respective handicaps where they head the Timeform weight-adjusted ratings.
First up is Kodiac Thriller in the card’s most valuable race, a six-furlong contest (15:40), where he’s ridden for the first time by promising apprentice Warren Fentiman who takes 5 lb off the four-year-old’s back. Kodiac Thriller won over seven furlongs as a two-year-old but has been running consistently over five furlongs recently, winning over that trip at Thirsk in May. He has made the frame in all four starts since, including when fourth in a hotter contest at York (just behind JM Jungle, a Group 2 winner at Goodwood last week), and nine days ago chased home all-the-way winner Rosenpur at Chester. Stepping back up in trip here could help him win again.
Spioradalta has also been running consistently since winning over course and distance in May and he has the ‘Horses For Courses’ flag back at the scene of that success in the mile and a quarter handicap (16:10). That was a battling neck win under Jason Hart, with the first two pulling clear of the rest, and the same jockey is back on board here. Spioradalta keeps the cheekpieces which he has worn for his last couple of starts when third at Beverley and Ayr despite failing to settle for an apprentice rider.
Joseph O’Brien having a good run in Britain
Joseph O’Brien has had a remarkable 166 individual horses run for him on the Flat in Ireland so far this year which is far more than any other trainer on that side of the Irish Sea. Finding winning opportunities at home for such a large string can’t be easy which perhaps explains why O’Brien has been seeking out opportunities in ordinary races in Britain lately.
Two-year-old Maximum Scepticism landed the odds in a maiden at Nottingham last month, while juvenile hurdler Dignam did the same in a couple of races at Newton Abbot and Uttoxeter. The stable’s good run with its runners in Britain continued last week when Omni Man landed a valuable handicap at Goodwood.
O’Brien looks to have found a very good opportunity for Teewinot to open her account in the two-year-old fillies’ maiden at Lingfield (15:53) where she has shown much the most ability of those who have run. She ran to a similar level in both her starts last month, finishing a promising fourth on her debut at Fairyhouse and then second in another fillies’ maiden at Leopardstown. This time she did too much too soon but did well to last as long as she did in front before being beaten a length and a quarter by Mayflower whilst finishing clear of the rest. A repeat of her Irish form suggests Teewinot will be hard to beat.
Pepper best of British in Ballyhane
There was some success for British yards at Galway last week and the trainers of the five two-year-olds who cross the Irish Sea to contest the sixth running of the Ballyhane Stakes at Naas (16:46) will be hoping that continues in a contest which carries total prize money of €200,000.
The Ballyhane is a median auction contest which means that the runners’ weights are based on the median price of their sire’s yearlings at auction. Ger Lyons has won this before and has a leading contender again with Down Royal maiden winner Howd’yadoit and so too has Joseph O’Brien, successful in 2022, whose filly Green Sense won a substandard edition of the Prix Robert Papin at Chantilly last time.
Stronger-looking pattern form, on the other hand, is represented by Jel Pepper, trained by Oliver Cole, who looks to have the best claims of the five British-trained runners. The son of Inns of Court looks well treated by the race conditions on 9-0, meaning he gets 4 lb from Green Sense. Jel Pepper was well backed when making a successful debut in a novice at Goodwood in June and then ran well to finish third in the July Stakes at Newmarket behind Zavateri and Do Or Do Not who have advertised that form since in last week’s Vintage Stakes. Still immature and coltish before that run, Jel Pepper has since been gelded to keep his mind on the job and with further improvement to come he heads the Timeform weight-adjusted ratings in this huge field.
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