Lord Roxby among favourites for Great St Wilfrid at Ripon
Nigel Tinkler’s Lord Roxby goes into the Great St Wilfrid Handicap at Ripon on Saturday as a leading contender after winning over the course and distance earlier this month, and useful apprentice Alex Jary should be able to settle him in the 3.25.
A high-numbered stall is generally advantageous in single-figure fields at Ripon because pacier horses can secure the stands’ rail, but Intervention’s front-running success from stall one 12 months ago — with the stands’-side pace horses second and third — illustrated that speed becomes paramount when a big field splits.
There is plenty of pace drawn in the low numbers this year and Jary is expected to keep Lord Roxby close to the speed before making his move a furlong out; the pair struck for home in similar fashion when they beat Dark Cloud Rising with something to spare last time out.
At Newbury, Dubai Honour is described as being in his seventh season on the track, a four-time winner at the highest level who was touched off in a Grade One in Australia in March and has previously won off a break, while Scoville drops back to seven furlongs in the 2.35 after showing up well for a long way in major handicaps over a mile on his last two starts.
Major Neigh Sayer (Newbury 1.55) has been gelded and freshened up since his last outing in early June and is considered to remain with potential; Witness Stand (Newbury 3.10) finished second in this race last year under a Group Two penalty and can run without the extra 3lb, and in the Newbury 3.42 a couple of the debutants have classy autumn entries so the race is likely one for watching, with Ed Walker’s juveniles noted for improvement and Mister Whippy having shown plenty amid greenness at Doncaster first time up.
The published selections for the cards include Newbury 1.25 Dubai Honour, 1.55 Major Neigh Sayer, 2.35 Scoville, 3.10 Witness Stand, 3.42 Mister Whippy, 4.20 Masterinthewoods and 4.55 Bayaan; Newmarket 1.35 Bin Jahwar, 2.10 Archduke Ferdinand, 2.43 Alma Latina, 3.13 Eabha, 3.50 Pipily, 4.25 Lightning Glory and 5.00 Cherry Cobbler; Perth 1.40 Crackalackin, 2.15 Ras Kassar, 2.50 Follow Charlie, 3.32 Broken Ice, 4.05 Squeezebox, 4.40 Le Malin and 5.15 Game Shadow; and Doncaster, Lingfield and Market Rasen cards featuring Poets Dawn, One Of The Boys, Noble Prince, Imperial Guard, Golden Long, Berlinetta, Sound Gloria, Tenadaay, Snow On The Beach, Wyle Cop, Logi Bear, Borderline Madness, Fallacious Promise, Centurion’s Sister, Eternal Angel, Gower Prince, Ballintubber Boy, La Quarite, Fine Point among others.
The Ripon card lists Coral Cove (1.45), Green Bay Dream (2.20), Kats Bob (2.55), Lord Roxby (nap) (3.25), Swiped (3.55), Clocker (4.30) and Saxon Grace (5.05); Kats Bob is an eight-year-old without a win this season but has posted useful efforts in defeat on his last two starts and returns to a speed-favouring track.
Lord Roxby is scheduled to contest the Great St Wilfrid Handicap at Ripon in the 3.25 on Saturday.