Sixtygeesbaby Heads Ripon Feature Lineup

Thursday's racing schedule is packed, with live coverage from Hereford and Ripon on Sky Sports Racing. The highlight of Ripon's opening day is the Armstrong Memorial Handicap, featuring top contenders Sixtygeesbaby and American Style. Sixtygeesbaby, now with the David O'Meara team, showed promise in his seasonal debut at Doncaster and is expected to improve. American Style, despite struggling to find his winning form, has the potential to succeed if conditions favor him, particularly since he returns to the site of his last victory. Modern Times, having not raced since his win at this course and distance last June, is an intriguing entry who receives a significant weight advantage over the top two contenders. The untested Storm Esme aims to overcome a 4lbs rise in the Ripon Silver Bowl Handicap, following a strong juvenile season that included two wins from three starts. Cotai Belle, who competed against Storm Esme in a Listed race at Redcar, will need to recapture her early form to challenge for the win. Wyle Cop, with recent experience on the All-Weather, could perform well now that he's back on turf. At Hereford, Sherborne seeks to extend his winning streak in the Keltruck Ltd Handicap Chase, stepping up in class after convincing wins at Exeter and Ascot. Insurrection, dropping down in class after a disappointing outing at Cheltenham, may find this race more to his liking, especially with a reduced trip. Black Hawk Eagle, riding a win at Chepstow and carrying a light weight, cannot be overlooked. The day also features an 0-85 handicap at Ripon and eight races from ParisLongchamp, focusing on lower-grade action.