2019 Season Off to a Flyer at Yorkshire’s Garden Racecourse!
Ripon basked in glorious sunshine for Easter Family Day and the action on the track was particularly hot with some competitive racing and some impressive winners.
David O’Meara’s Great Dame put the experience of her first run to good use, making virtually all of the running under Daniel Tudhope to win the Mandale Homes at Juniper Grove Ripon EBF Novice Stakes in very taking fashion. Last year’s winner of this race, Light My Fire, went on to gain black type and it would be no surprise to see this filly develop into a really useful performer.
It didn’t take 2018 Ripon Top Trainer Tim Easterby long to get off the mark as he quickly notched a double with Lady Calcaria springing a surprise at 40/1 under Duran Fentiman before the David Allan ridden Bossipop recorded a pillar to post success in the PPR Foundation Handicap.
It certainly paid to be on the pace and Epaulement was another to make all in the Kirby Thomas Sponsored Debby Shippam Memorial Handicap (for the Ripon Silver Bowl), justifying favouritism for Tom Dascombe and Richard Kingscote.
Divinity added her name to the growing list of those to make all taking the Ripon Cock O’ The North Handicap under a good ride from Clifford Lee. Karl Burke’s Dutch Art filly certainly has some scope and there could be plenty more to come from her this season.
Mark Johnston’s Sir Ron Priestley looked another to keep on the right side of, taking the Pulse 1 and Pulse 2 Novice Stakes by six-lengths with Joe Fanning in the saddle.
The concluding Mandale Homes at Rokesby Place Pickhill Apprentice Handicap was taken by the Antony Brittain trained Canford Bay and Kieran Schofield who fended off the persistent challenge of Nibras Again.
