Sixtygeesbaby Tackles Ripon's Featured Event

Thursday promises to be an action-packed day of racing, with events from Hereford and Ripon broadcast live on Sky Sports Racing. The highly-regarded Sixtygeesbaby and American Style are set to clash in a competitive Armstrong Memorial Handicap, marking the start of Ripon's 2026 season. Sixtygeesbaby, having recently switched to David O'Meara's team from Tom Clover's yard in March, will be making only his second start for his new team. He performed credibly in a decent contest at Doncaster last month and is expected to be in better shape for this outing. American Style, despite struggling to achieve victory of late, possesses the necessary ability and returns to the scene of his most recent success, covering the same distance as his first win of last season. Modern Times, an intriguing contender, has not been seen since his victory over this course and distance in June of last year and receives a significant weight advantage over the top two, making him difficult to dismiss. Storm Esme, relatively unexposed, seeks to overcome a 4lbs rise in the Ripon Silver Bowl Handicap. The filly, owned by Valmont, aims to start her season on a positive note after winning two out of three starts as a juvenile. Cotai Belle, the top-rated contender, renews her rivalry with Storm Esme, having finished two places ahead of her in the Listed race at Redcar. However, Cotai Belle is now 4lbs worse off at the weights and will need to recapture her early form to return to winning ways. Wyle Cop has had two All-Weather starts this season, securing a win and a third place in a warm sprint handicap at Southwell, and could perform well now that he is back on turf. Sherborne, meanwhile, takes a step up in class in the Keltruck Ltd Handicap Chase, seeking to complete a hat-trick at Hereford. Insurrection takes a drop in class and a significant drop in trip, which should see him in a more favorable light. Black Hawk Eagle, up 3lbs for his win at Chepstow, cannot be overlooked due to his feather-weight. The day's events also include an 0-85 handicap at Ripon and eight low-grade races from ParisLongchamp.