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Ralph Beckett's Task Force is up to the job at Ripon
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William Haggas has placed Kathab for a hattrick
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Sir Mark Prescott has a great record when fitting cheek-pieces
15:35 Ripon - Back Task Force @ 6/42.50 1.5pt (NAP)
Task Force - 6/42.50 on the Betfair Sportsbook - looked out of the ordinary at Salisbury. While backing once-raced Juveniles can be a recipe for catastrophe, it might be worth taking a chance with this Group 2 Champagne Stakes and Group 1 Middle Park Stakes entry.
The money was not misplaced at Salisbury when he made a mockery of his rivals running out a decisive victor over a subsequent winner, and Ralph Beckett only sends his two-year-olds to this Ripon venue with a chance.
Beckett has a 31% strike rate with two-year-olds at Ripon scoring with four of his 13 runners in his career, while the two horses he has sent this term have both returned victorious.
The time of the Salisbury race was not one to shout about, and he was well positioned, but he started brightly from stall ten of 11 and powered clear at the line, having travelled strongly.
He was slightly green when asked to quicken under pressure, but once the penny dropped, there would only ever be one winner, and his fourth, fifth and final furlongs were very good on the clock - while acknowledging the steady early pace helped them.
Still, he looks useful, and in the hope of showing the early gate speed he did at Salisbury, he should get a good position and come over to the rail. Many of these have a ceiling to their ability, so if there's a good one in here, it's highly likely to be Task Force.
His opening odds of 6/42.50 look defensive, with the expectation that money will come for Seven Questions 4/15.00, but the heavy support at Salisbury means he could go off any price. I am happy at 6/42.50 and no shorter.
This a tricky contest, but the ready preference is for the unexposed three-year-old Kathab - 2/13.00 on the Betfair Sportsbook - who has gone right back on track in recent starts and won with a bit to spare in a more competitive race at Haydock last time.
He faces mainly exposed rivals today, and while Isla Kai is returning to the scene of his last victory, the drying ground and move (in my opinion) back to 1m are not positives to his chances. Kathab will likely be close to the pace-setting Isla Kai here and should have the brighter turn of foot on this drying ground.
His latest victory saw him come from an unpromising position at Haydock, and he returns to a course he handled very well on his penultimate start when a ready winner, albeit at odds of 1/81.12.
William Haggas runners are rarely seen here at Ripon (only 13 this year), but he has a 46% strike rate this season and a 29% strike rate overall.
Fellow three-year-old James McHenry could step forward for the first time blinkers returned to Ripon, but he doesn't look particularly well handicapped.
The selection arrives on an upward curve, and there's little more he could have in his favour, and he makes appeal at 13/82.63 or bigger.
Despite crabbing Desert Falcon - 5/23.50 on the Betfair Sportsbook - before his effort at Lingfield when suggesting he had made all in weak events and slow times, he improved his form and time figure at Lingfield on the all-weather last time, and he now has the look of a progressive three-year-old.
He couldn't match the pace of the winner when under pressure, but that was not through ability but by cocking his head to the right when asked for maximum effort. He finally dropped his head in the closing stages to finish a running on second, but perhaps the cheek-pieces applied today for the first time will be a good source of improvement on that evidence (Sir Mark Prescott has a 28% strike rate with horses running in cheek-pieces).
Hollie Doyle takes over in the saddle, and we likely have yet to see the best of him, given his finishing effort on his latest outing.
He has proven to handle undulating tracks like Lingfield (turf) and Chepstow, so this quirky course should prove no issue, and he is well drawn in stall four for a prominent ride.
He looks worth keeping on the right side of and is fancied to fend off fellow improving three-year-old Capital Guarantee. Back him at 2/13.00 or bigger.