Sixtygeesbaby Leads the Charge in Ripon's Feature Event

Thursday promises to be an exciting 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, now under the care of the David O'Meara team, will be making only his second start since switching from Tom Clover's yard in March. Following a respectable performance in his seasonal debut at Doncaster last month, he is expected to be in better form. American Style, despite struggling to achieve victories towards the end of last season, possesses the necessary ability and returns to the scene of his most recent win, covering the same distance as his first success of the previous season. Modern Times is another contender worth noting, having not been seen since his victory over this course and distance in June of last year, and receiving a significant weight advantage from the top two. The untested Storm Esme aims to overcome a 4lbs rise in the Ripon Silver Bowl Handicap. After a successful juvenile season, which included two wins from three starts, the Valmont-owned filly seeks to begin her current campaign on a positive note. Cotai Belle, who finished ahead of Storm Esme in the Two-Year-Old Trophy at Redcar, reopposes and will need to recapture her early-season form to succeed. Wyle Cop, having demonstrated his fitness with two All-Weather starts this season, could perform well in his return to turf. Meanwhile, at Hereford, Sherborne attempts to complete a hat-trick in the Keltruck Ltd Handicap Chase, stepping up in class after emphatic victories at Exeter and Ascot. Insurrection, dropping down in class, and Black Hawk Eagle, competing off a low weight, are also contenders to watch in this event.