16:05 Ripon

Saturday 30 September 2023

All13:4514:2014:5515:3016:0516:4017:15

Armstrong Memorial Handicap

Off time: 16:06 | Winning time: 59.09s

(3)

May Blossom^b¹⁰

Age: 4| Weight: 9-13| J: Mark Winn⁽³⁾| T: D O'Meara| OR: 81| D

14/1

Latest win at Newmarket in July. Good third of 9 in handicap (10/1) at Beverley (5f, heavy) 10 days ago, slowly away. Ought to be in the shake-up.

Form: 611073

(5)

Strong Johnson¹⁶

Age: 7| Weight: 9-11| J: B A Curtis| T: P T Midgley| OR: 79| BF| D

7/2

Latest win at Redcar in August. Eleventh of 13 in handicap (4/1) at Doncaster (6f, good to soft) 16 days ago so needs to bounce back.

Form: 563120

(6)

Princess Karine¹³

Age: 4| Weight: 9-11| J: Andrew Breslin⁽³⁾| T: B Smart| OR: 79| D

7/2

Career best when winning 4-runner handicap at Musselburgh (5f, soft, 9/4) 13 days ago. Needs considering despite taking a 3 lb rise.

Form: 214621

(10)

American Star^b¹⁷

Age: 4| Weight: 9-10| J: P Mulrennan| T: Mrs R Carr| OR: 78

11/1

28/1, last of 14 in handicap at Southwell (6.1f) 17 days ago. Enters calculations if shrugging off latest effort.

Form: 555480

(9)

Khabib^p¹¹

Age: 5| Weight: 9-7| J: Ryan Sexton⁽³⁾| T: R Craggs| OR: 75| D

4/1

Eleven runs since last win in 2022 but he shaped well when fourth of 13 in handicap at Redcar (6f, good) 11 days ago, fading only late on. Big shout back at the minimum trip now.

Form: 359664

(2)

Betweenthesticks^p²¹

Age: 3| Weight: 9-6| J: Connor Beasley| T: J Channon| OR: 75| D

10/1

Twelve runs since last win in 2022. Creditable third of 9 in handicap at Wolverhampton (5.1f, 9/2) 21 days ago. Can give a good account.

Form: 223643

(7)

Vadamiah³⁸

Age: 4| Weight: 9-6| J: G Lee| T: P T Midgley| OR: 74| D

10/1

Eleventh of 14 in handicap at York (5f, good to firm, 33/1) 38 days ago. Others appeal more.

Form: 431-590

(8)

Canaria Queen¹³

Age: 3| Weight: 9-0| J: D Allan| T: T D Easterby| OR: 69| D

10/1

Lightly-raced winner. Career best when winning 5-runner minor event (5/2) at Musselburgh (5f, soft) 13 days ago, pushed out. Much respected back in handicap company.

Form: 73291

(4)

Northcliff^b⁹

Age: 3| Weight: 8-11| J: Sean Kirrane| T: T D Easterby| OR: 66

17/2

Creditable fifth of 20 in handicap at Ayr (5f, good to soft, 22/1) 9 days ago. Blinkers back on. Remains a maiden after 18 Flat runs.

Form: 077005

Non-Runners

(1)

Ecclesiastical²¹

Weight: 9-2| Age: 6

T: T Davidson J: D Nolan

Forecasts

Strong Johnson (7/2), Princess Karine (7/2), Khabib (4/1), Northcliff (17/2), Vadamiah (10/1), Betweenthesticks (10/1), Canaria Queen (10/1), Ecclesiastical (10/1), American Star (11/1), May Blossom (14/1)

A tight-knit sprint but KHABIB caught the eye when fourth over 6f at Redcar last time and gets the nod with this return to his optimum trip a big plus. In-form top-weight May Blossom brings solid credentials to the table and is feared most ahead of recent Musselburgh scorer Princess Karine.