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 jockey Archie Watson on Sunday. I was thrilled with Romance Spirit's maiden win 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 2:15 pm on Saturday at Ripon. Among the five runners at the Garden Racecourse, the daughter of Teofilo, trained by Marco Botti, travelled like the front‑runner for much of the race on the Tapeta surface.
However, a touch of greenness proved decisive and she was unable to maintain her advantage. Her pedigree includes a Dubawi mare, providing ample stamina, and she is certainly ready for the extra two furlongs this race offers. Our draw is also favourable, which should help her handle 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 headline sprint, the Ripon Silver Sprint Trophy Handicap at 4:10 pm.
A former winner for trainer George Scott, Seven Questions has been heavily campaigned but recently dropped to a very attractive weight and confirmed his fitness with a solid third place at Pontefract on his first start of the year a few weeks ago. He should be sharper after that run, and although a higher draw would have been preferable, I expect a strong performance from the lowest weight he has carried since his victory in a Leicester nursery. Never miss a story – get the latest racing news, interviews and features straight to your phone.
Find out more. 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 track at Lingfield Park in December. Stepping up to six furlongs in the Watch Sky Sports Racing In HD Handicap at 5:20 pm appears to be an ideal target for our daughter of Blue Point, who I hope will stay on an unchanged mark of 71 pounds. We enjoyed a successful mission to North Yorkshire last weekend when two‑year‑old Niewiadoma won on debut at Thirsk, so I am hopeful Blue Nguru can replicate that form.
I have two rides at Ripon for trainer Dave Loughnane, beginning with Thunda Struck in the British Stallion Studs EBF Novice Stakes at 1:40 pm. I know little about her, but I did deliver a winner for the enthusiastic owners of the Let’s Be Lucky Partnership at Chester last year. A breakthrough win at Nottingham gives her stablemate The Sweet Escape a realistic chance in the Sue’s 60th Birthday Occasion Handicap at 4:45 pm.
Dropping back to a mile suited him, and a three‑pound weight increase leaves him on a workable mark of just 62 pounds. After securing victories with three two‑year‑olds in the past week, I am eager to see what Archie Watson’s Phalanx Nation can accomplish in the EBF Fillies’ Novice Stakes at Nottingham on Sunday at 2:48 pm. She is a big‑bodied Sioux Nation filly who has shown early promise and is ready to take on the track.
I have ridden her extensively in training, and she possesses a brilliant mind. If she can translate her work‑out form into a race performance, I am confident she will impress her owners, Victorious Forever, who have given me many magical moments with the great Bradsell. The traditional Classic trial meetings at Newbury last weekend did not disappoint, with the Group Three Greenham Stakes providing valuable insight. While Karl Burke’s Alparslan dominated his rivals, I was most impressed by Eve Johnson‑Houghton’s Zavateri, a genuine eye‑catcher.
Eve noted that he has grown considerably over the winter and once again displayed a wonderful attitude, finishing a close second. I was also pleased to see Tom Marquand’s mount Needle Match hold on to finish fourth at long odds. William Haggas’s colt has the potential to improve further over a mile and is certainly one to watch. Touleen fell just short of winning the fillies’ trial, the Fred Darling Stakes, but she is returning for her first run since September and shows great determination.
I was delighted for Jack Channon, who won the race with Sukanya; she will be a strong contender for the Irish 1000 Guineas. Hollie Doyle was interviewed by Sky Sports Racing’s Simon Mapletoft, discussing her plans and the prospects of the horses under her guidance.