Our ambassador was on the scene at Ripon on Saturday, broadcasting live on Sky Sports Racing, and is eager to team up with a highly regarded two‑year‑old for Archie Watson on Sunday. I was thrilled with Romance Spirit's maiden victory over a mile at Southwell earlier this month, so I anticipate she will be a tough contender in the Napoleons Casino And Restaurant Leeds Restricted Maiden Stakes at 2.15pm on Saturday at Ripon. Among the five runners at the Garden Racecourse, the Teofilo‑sired filly, trained by Marco Botti, travelled like the eventual winner for much of the way on the Tapeta surface, but a touch of greenness ultimately cost her. She is out of a Dubawi mare, which means stamina is abundant in her pedigree, and the extra two furlongs should suit her perfectly.
Our draw is favourable, giving her a good chance of handling the track's notorious undulations. Seven Questions has already proven his worth at Ripon, an advantage that should serve him well in the afternoon's feature sprint, the Ripon Silver Sprint Trophy Handicap at 4.10pm. The colt, a former George Scott winner, has been heavily campaigned but recently dropped to an attractive handicap mark and confirmed his soundness with a solid third place at Pontefract on his first start of the year a couple of weeks ago. He should be sharper now, and although a higher draw would have been preferable, I expect a strong performance from the low draw he last used when winning a nursery at Leicester.
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I am also keen to see what Archie Watson's filly Blue Nguru can achieve this season after her breakthrough win over the minimum distance on the all‑weather at Lingfield Park in December. Stepping up to six furlongs in the Watch Sky Sports Racing In HD Handicap at 5.20pm seems ideal for our daughter of Blue Point, who I hope will stay on an unchanged mark of 71.
Our recent mission to North Yorkshire was a success when two‑year‑old Niewiadoma won on debut at Thirsk, so we hope Blue Nguru can replicate that form. I will be riding two horses at Ripon for Dave Loughnane, starting with Thunda Struck in the British Stallion Studs EBF Novice Stakes at 1.40pm.
I don’t know much about Thunda Struck, but I did ride a winner at Chester last year for her enthusiastic owners, the Let’s Be Lucky Partnership. A breakthrough win at Nottingham gives her stablemate The Sweet Escape a chance in the Sue’s 60th Birthday Occasion Handicap at 4.45pm. He seemed to relish dropping back to a mile, and a three‑pound weight increase leaves him on a workable mark of 62.
Having already secured victories with three two‑year‑olds in the past week, I am eager to see what Archie Watson's Phalanx Nation can deliver in the EBF Fillies' Novice Stakes at 2.48pm at Nottingham on Sunday. She is a big, scopey Sioux Nation filly who has come to hand early and is ready to hit the track. I have worked with her extensively in the stable, and she possesses a brilliant mind.
If she can translate that work ethic into a race, I am confident she will impress her owners, Victorious Forever, who have given me countless magical moments with the great Bradsell. The traditional Classic trial meetings at Newbury last weekend did not disappoint, with the Group Three Greenham Stakes offering valuable insights. While Karl Burke's Alparslan dominated his rivals, I was most impressed by Eve Johnson Houghton's Zavateri, a genuine eye‑catcher who has grown significantly over the winter and again displayed a wonderful attitude, finishing second. I was also pleased to see Tom Marquand's mount Needle Match hold on to finish fourth at long odds.
William Haggas' colt has the potential to improve further over a mile and is definitely one to watch. Touleen fell short in the fillies' trial, the Fred Darling Stakes, but she is returning for her first run since September and is not the type to give up easily.
I was delighted for Jack Channon, who won the race on Sukanya; she will be well‑placed for the Irish 1000 Guineas. Hollie Doyle was speaking to Sky Sports Racing's Simon Mapletoft, sharing her thoughts on the day’s events and looking ahead to future targets. The weekend at Ripon and Newbury highlighted the depth of talent among the young horses and underscored the importance of careful placement, pedigree analysis, and the right weight assignments to maximize each horse’s chances. As we move forward, the connections will continue to fine‑tune their strategies, hoping that the promising performances seen this week will translate into further successes on the track.