Andrew Asquith of Timeform provides an overview of the key things to note on Sunday.
Three points of interest
Beckett a trainer to note in Leicester novice
Ralph Beckett has won the last two renewals of this novice event and he has another interesting runner in this year’s edition in Matauri Bay.
He cost a hefty 500,000 guineas as a yearling, little surprise seeing as he’s a brother to Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf winner Aunt Pearl and useful Dragon Icon who is trained by Roger Varian. Interestingly, both Aunt Pearl and Dragon Icon both won on their debut as juveniles.
Furthermore, Beckett can also boast a 20% strike rate with two-year-olds in novice or maiden events at Leicester, and that stat rises to 24% in the last five seasons, while Lope de Vega, sire of Matauri Bay, has had 84 of his offspring make a winning debut on the Flat.
This looks a hot race, with several big yard’s represented, but Matauri Bay makes plenty of appeal on paper and the stats also look very promising.
Loughnane leading jockey at Leicester this season
Billy Loughnane is the leading rider at Leicester this season with five wins at a strike rate of 27.78% and he has five scheduled rides at the track on Sunday.
The pick of them could by the Mick Appleby-trained Noisy Music, who has progressed well this season, showing much improved form for the switch to turf when opening her account on handicap debut over six furlongs at Windsor in June.
She ran a stinker turned out under a penalty just four days later, but has got right back on track since, unlucky to bump into a thriving filly who has won again since at Nottingham, she ran creditably when third to a couple of interesting types last time.
This will be the first time she is taking on older horses in a handicap and Loughnane rides for the first time.
Haggas and Marquand excellent at Ripon
Tom Marquand and William Haggas are a dynamite combination when teaming up together at Ripon with a strike rate of 44%.
Marquand isn’t a regular visitor to the North Yorkshire venue, either, having had just three rides at the Garden Racecourse so far this season, so the four runners he heads North to ride for his boss on Sunday, Art Design, Cool Legend, Bursinel and Sea la Venus, all command respect.
The standout looks to be Cool Legend, who is from a good family, and is arguably unlucky not to have won already this season. He went like the best horse at the weights when narrowly denied at Goodwood two starts back, looking all over the winner – he traded at 1.02 in running on Betfair – but just a little ungainly when hitting the front.
Cool Legend also left the firm impression he would have been right in the mix had he enjoyed more luck in running at Newbury last time, too, yet to be asked for an effort when stopped in his run two furlongs out.
It isn’t much of a surprise that connections now reach for cheekpieces, which will help him concentrate, and he’s almost certainly a well-handicapped horse.
Tip of the Day
Jez Bomb – 17:10 Ripon
Flags: Horse In Focus, Top Rated
Jez Bomb had been shaping nicely and duly showed improved form when meeting older horses for the first time to open his account over nine furlongs at Redcar three weeks ago. That performance can be marked up quite a bit, too, as he overcame a significant pace bias, coming from last to first in taking fashion in a race which wasn’t run at a true gallop. Jez Bomb still had plenty to do three furlongs from home, but he picked up in taking fashion and was comfortably on top at the line. This is a stronger race but a subsequent 3lb rise more than likely underestimates him.
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