2.40pm Ripon Tips & Betting Preview 23/04/2016

2.40pm Ripon – Download The Free attheraces App Handicap Class Two – 2m

Two miles on the flat will take some getting regardless but with the going forecast to be on the soft side, this will be a war and stamina will be at a premium but Mark Johnston is your man in these sorts of races, and with Franny Norton on board it appears that Yorkidding (12/1 Each Way) is the stable number one of his pair of runners. Still only a four year old, his toe best runs last season over a mile and three quarters victory at Sandown last May and a runners up spot over two miles behind Sea Of Heaven on soft ground at Chester, and that could yet  be the key piece of form. That was off a handicap mark of 83 and he only has a pound more today, and with the going in his favour, we think he may just about have the edge.

Grumeti (9/1) certainly jumps out as a possibility having won over further on the flat at Newmarket when taking the Cesarewitch at odds of 50/1, and he has also raced at up to three miles over hurdles. Stamina seems unlikely to be an issue and he has won on very soft going on the flat at Ascot (over shorter), so definitely makes today’s short list. He hasn’t raced for a couple of months which could be a concern, but we like his profile and expect him to be on the scene when the chips are down up the home straight for trainer Alan King.

William Knight is still in among the winners from his West Sussex stables and has one of the few distance winners here in Gavlar (7/1), who looks to have a decent each way chance. Three of his four career victories have been over this trip, one at Goodwood and two at Kempton (on the all-weather), so the going could well be an issue or at the very least, an unknown, and he is running off of five pounds higher than his best winning mark but he does have stamina on his side.

Stonecutter (8/1) defies his breeding with wins over two miles plus at Wolverhampton and a mile and three quarters at Chelmsford, which seems pretty unusual for a son of Mastercraftsman! Now a five-year-old, he has only had the eight career starts and has won three of them and placed the once, which is a pretty impressive statistic, and there is good reason to believe he may still have more to offer. Once again, the going has to be a concern (his only run on soft ground was at Newbury when he was beaten thirty-eight lengths), but he is a decent horse and could surprise a few of these on Saturday with a fitness advantage following a win in March at Wolverhampton.

For an outsider to consider, Keith Dalgleish has his string in fine fettle and Mirsaale (4/1) is worth a shot if he attempts this trip for the first time. He made all the running over a mile and three quarters last time out at Catterick on soft ground for a very easy victory, but that was a Class Five not a Class Two like today, and he has been put up a massive sixteen pounds for that win. Admittedly he did have any amount in hand and was eased up at the line, and may yet put up a bold show once again.

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