8.20pm Ripon Tips & Betting Preview 21/06/2017

An interesting sprint handicap over the five furlongs on the Ripon turf with a weight range of thirteen pounds from top to bottom. All the runners are three-year-olds with some making their seasonal reappearance and others already showing themselves this season so why not read on for our tip and a horse by horse race preview.

IN SUMMARY: DAKOTA GOLD has earned top weight with two good runs already this season and can add to earlier gains this evening at the expense of the unexposed Rozy Boys who may well be his serious challenger.

1 DAKOTA GOLD – One win and a second already from the top weight who won comfortably enough on his seasonal return at Thirsk but found life a bit trickier when a length second to Excessable at Redcar off his of an eight pound higher mark. He may have been held up a fraction too long that day and perhaps failed to quicken up as well as expected and if ridden a little nearer to the pace tonight he can win again. His stabe are in superlative form with a 25% strike rate in the last two weeks and over 33 points of level stakes profit, and will be expecting to add to that here.

2 ROZY BOYS – Just the two runs so far for the son of top sprinter Kyllachy who won first time out at Wolverhampton over this trip for trainer David Barron and followed that with a last of six over the same course and distance. Put away for the winter after that effort where he was beaten less than three lengths and eased after failing to get a clear run, he is bred to be as good or better on the turf and looks to have a solid enough chance of success off this rating, though his stable could be in better form with just the two winners from twenty-seven runners (7%) in the last two weeks.

3 JACK FLASH – Moved from Ger Lyons to Les Eyre in December last year and has already rewarded connections with three wins from seven starts at Lingfield on the polytrack (twice), and in April in Ripon, all over this five-furlong trip, the last over course and distance. Stepped up to this class last time out at York he tried to make all before weakening to finish twelve and a half lengths tenth of twelve, and will need to do a lot better than that off the same handicap mark this evening.

4 HAROME – Plenty of racing at two may well have seen the best of him with two wins on fast ground at Hamilton over this trip but looked poor on his return when fifteen and a half lengths last of seven to Tumblewind at Doncaster though to be fair that was on soft ground which will not have seen him at his best. It will take a leap of faith for his supporters to assume that the quicker going will be all he needs to succeed here, and even though trainer Roger fell is in acceptable form hitting 10% in the last two weeks, others appeal a lot more.

5 MONKS STAND – Gelded soon after leaving the Jeremy Noseda stable for Tim Easterby but in shocking form so far this season finishing last in all three starts. An eight lengths ninth of nine, nine and a quarter length sixth of sixth and a sixty-four length fourteenth of fourteen last time out over seven furlongs at York hardly inspire but the return to the minimum trip may see a better showing even though he is yet to win in handicap company.

6 DESERT SPORT – The one horse in the field who won last timeout after the son of Hat Trick took a Class Five handicap at Bath last time out over this trip by two and a half lengths. He did look to have plenty in hand that day under Jimmy Fortune and has only been put up four pounds by the handicapper but does take two steps up the class ladder and will find these more formidable opponents. Trainer Robert Cowell has had three winners from just seventeen runners in the last two weeks for an 18% strike rate and Desert Sport could go close to adding to that tally here.

7 NIGHT LAW – Bottom weight here for the Richard Fahey trained daughter of Lawman who ran five times as a two-year-old, winning her maiden over this five furlongs at Sandown. Returning here at Ripon over six furlongs she ran a blinder after eight months off to finish half a length behind Impart looking a bit one-paced, and if she enjoys the step back in trip she could well be a big player off just the eight stone eight this evening.