Jamie Spencer has only had seven rides at Ripon since the beginning of last year but he gets another three today and should at least maintain the 30% strike-rate he's had there over the last five seasons.
Kossack will be odds-on for the 4.15 but the mount of Spencer's I'm most interested in is Great Charm (3.15). The winner of four of his last seven starts, this progressive three-year-old couldn't cope with a big field at Newmarket last time. Back in less competitive company, he's good value for the current 4-1 on the exchange and has run well twice over this course and distance this summer.
Mel Brittain only sent out one winner in each of the last two months, then hit the mark on the very first day of August. Is that him done until September? I hope not because Foxy Jane (2.45) looks a fair price at about 13-2 for the selling handicap. She looked well treated when a promising fifth on her handicap debut last time.
Tim Vaughan is maintaining a very impressive 20% strike-rate (15 wins from 74 starts) this jumps season and his Option Money (2.30) can turn over a couple of more fancied rivals from the Pipe and King yards in Newton Abbot's opening novice hurdle. This is his first start for Vaughan since leaving Jonjo O'Neill and I expect to see some improvement.
Followers of ten-year race trends will be lining up behind Critical Stage (3.00) in the claiming hurdle -- Jimmy Frost's nine-year-old is bidding for a hat-trick in the race and Tony McCoy can boot him home. His recent Flat outings showed he's in good heart.
Paul Nicholls' Qrackers (3.30) can exploit the four-year-olds' allowance in the novice chase -- I'm a little surprised he isn't odds-on yet.
2.40pm Option Money (9-4) gets us off to a flying start
Another winner for Tim Vaughan, a trainer to follow, though the form may amount to little. David Pipe's runner, Quinte De Chatelet, looked very clumsy at a few hurdles while the 10-year-old runner-up Archduke Ferdinand, sent off as favourite, is as one-paced as can be.
3.10pm Back down to earth
Foxy Jane finished in midfield while Critical Stage was a running-on third, having been under the McCoy drive for most of the last mile. Back to square one.
3.40pm Qrackers delivers
A really professional round of jumping from Qrackers, up to the last, where he looked a little tired. But the race was over by then and the even-money favourite coasted home by 13 lengths.
Still, that followed defeat for Great Charm, who was very disappointing behind the fully exposed winner Bond City. It's a tiny profit for Talking Horses on the afternoon. I'll post a couple of potshots for this evening's racing (Windsor and Carlisle) shortly.
4.30pm Kossack impressive
Luca Cumani's three-year-old wins his maiden at the fourth attempt, on his first try at a mile and a half. He took time to get on top but won easily in the end and will be better over further. He's one to look for in handicaps.
6.20pm Belated tips for tonight
I was a little worried about the draw for Make My Dream (7.00) at Windsor but with five non-runners reducing the field to 10, that's not such a hot topic. Make My Dream scored over course and distance last month and should be forgiven for his subsequent Sandown defeat, when he was given too much to do.
In Carlisle's claimer, I'm surprised at the lack of respect being shown One Night In May (6.45), who won a seller here last month and had excuses for her handicap defeat at Thirsk.
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