Joanna Mason took full advantage of her elders and seniors engaged at Royal Ascot to record 3 winners across our two day fixture earlier this week riding for three different trainers.

The one-time Point-to-Point rider and amateur on the flat turned professional in 2020. She’s bred for the job, being a grand-daughter of Mick Easterby, but among the straight-talking folk of Yorkshire, that in itself is only an introduction, not a guarantee of a free pass. She recorded her best season last year with 69 winners, and is more than halfway to that total already in 2026.

Three winners from five rides on Thursday & Friday included a double on Wednesday for Roger Fell and James Owen, whilst the home fires were kept burning for the Easterbys the following afternoon, with Trucial Pearl.

Glory Hyde’s half length success in the 6f Handicap had been well telegraphed, this the third leg of a hat-trick, the middle leg of which was over course and distance a fortnight previously. The five year old mare still looks a step ahead of the handicapper, and is worth following again after this cosily-won event.

James Owen has no shortage of riders to rely on, but he can’t but be impressed with Mason’s success rate of 50% on her two rides for the Newmarket yard. Whilst he was further south watching Rogue Diplomat score a length victory in the Royal Hunt Cup at Ascot, his northern runner Eloquencia made easy meat of the 1m2f Sky Sports Racing Sky 415 Fillies Handicap.

Jump forward 21 hours, and family battle was joined as Mason prevailed for her retained Easterby stable against cousin Tim’s two runners, Hatamoto and Hood Wink by 1/2l and 1 1/2l as Trucial Pearl recorded her maiden victory at the 12th attempt.

Easterby noses were not out of joint however. Tim had already been successful earlier in the day on Thursday with Yermanthere, who benefited froma forceful ride by David Allen to hold an advantage of just a head over Charlie Johnstone’s Qitaal in the 1m 2f Grantley Hall Handicap.

Tim Easterby accepts another trophy at Ripon, this time for the Grantley Handicap

Yorkshire success is easier to come by this week than at Ascot as David O’Meara is finding out. Two winners over our two days have maintained the stable’s forward momentum, 38 runners on the board and a very respectable £630,000 in prize money. But he’s drawn a blank from 5 runners at the Royal Meeting to date and Toyotomi remains a 28/1 shot to break that hoodoo in tomorrow’s Wokingham.

Nevertheless Mark Winn more than earned his fee in scraping home on nose winner Raulin against Charlie Johnstone’s Spirit of Jura on Wednesday in Lloyds the Land Rover Ripon 1m 4f Handicap, whilst the same combination had a considerably easier time in Thursday’s 6f Ladies Day Handicap with Dark Cloud Rising, who made all for a 2l margin at the line that could have been much more.

Two maidens scored for the first time in Wednesday’s card. Jason Hart capitalized on Rossa Ryan’s attendance at Ascot to score on Beauty Box in the opener for maiden fillies over 6f at the third time of asking. Never far from the pace in similar events at Newmarket in April and Windsor in May, the juvenile was able to get off the mark with a comfortable 1 3/4l win over Chiwara for James Tate’s Newmarket stable.

A half hour later, Julie Camacho moved on to her 15th winner of the term and within hailing distance of £200,000 in prize money, when Crasmere boy justified 8/15 favouritism under Ryan Sexton with a 2 3/4l margin over Kilfrush Desert in a straight 6f maiden.

Barry McHugh and Team Fahey teamed up in the final event of the evening to score with 9/4 favourite What A Tahoo in the 5f handicap.

And so to Ladies Day, and I don’t mean that impersonation of an event in Berkshire, but a good old-fashioned day out for the girls at Ripon in North Yorkshire! And what better way to start an event focused on the fairer sex than with a race restricted to lady riders, amateurs at that.

Tony Carroll hit the £1m prize money mark for the first time in a long career in 2025. Everyone knows not to oppose him at Brighton, but his strike rate is best at Ripon, and the statisticians among the buzzing crowd took full advantage, sending Pride of Nepal off 9/4 favourite. Sarah Bowen in the plate was well mounted, needing no more than to push her mount out for a comfortable length winner and winner 85 for Carroll’s Worcestershire yard.

William Haggas is having a good Ascot, three winners to date, so it was understandable to choose morning dress over Sunday best at Ripon on Thursday when Earth Shot scored in the Ribblesdale by just a head. Eklleem encountered some traffic problems in the Masons Who Dares, Gins Novice event over a mile back in Yorkshire, but quality will out, and the gelding was speedy enough to find the front under Jason Hart for a 4 1/4l margin.

Which leaves two races unreported. In the EBF Restricted over 6f, favourite Super Alpha disappointed, but Luke Morris and Persazz had the race in the bag from a furlong out and the 1 1/4l margin could have been more. Mission accomplished for trainer William Knight.

A winner at Ripon is an altogether bigger deal for Zoe Hawkins, who made the long trip from Cullomton in Devon to field just her 12th runner on the flat this year. The trip proved very worthwhile, Liosa travelling strongly throughout to win with plenty in hand under Kevin Stott.

Connections of Liosa travelled furthest than most, all the way from Cullompton, to win at Ripon on Thursday.