Thursday promises to be an exciting day of racing, with events from Hereford and Ripon broadcast live on Sky Sports Racing. The highly anticipated Armstrong Memorial Handicap at Ripon's season opener features top contenders Sixtygeesbaby and American Style. Having recently joined the David O'Meara team, Sixtygeesbaby is set to make his second start, following a respectable performance at Doncaster last month. American Style, meanwhile, seeks to regain his winning form after a disappointing end to the previous season.
He returns to the scene of his last victory, over the same distance. Modern Times, having not been seen since winning at Ripon last June, is an intriguing contender who benefits from a significant weight advantage over the top two. The untested Storm Esme aims to overcome a 4lbs rise in the Ripon Silver Bowl Handicap, following a successful juvenile campaign. Cotai Belle, who finished ahead of Storm Esme in the Two-Year-Old Trophy at Redcar, reopposes, but will need to recapture her early form to succeed.
Wyle Cop, with two All-Weather starts under his belt, could perform well now that he's back on turf. At Hereford, Sherborne targets a hat-trick in the Keltruck Ltd Handicap Chase, having dominated his previous two outings at Exeter and Ascot.
Insurrection, dropping down in class, may find this new challenge more suited to his abilities, while Black Hawk Eagle, despite being up 3lbs, cannot be ruled out due to his lightweight. The day concludes with an 0-85 handicap at Ripon and eight low-grade races from ParisLongchamp.