Daniel Tudhope signed off Ripon’s final meeting of 2025 with a short-priced treble, in the process crowning himself leading rider over the course of the season at the Garden Racecourse. But in truth, it was a meeting dominated by Ripon regulars, not least old favourite Mark’s Choice, who brought the house down in winning his ninth race at Ripon.
The nine year old gelding first got to learn the quirks of Ripon in May 2018 for Ruth Carr, but has subsequently won a remarkable 9 times for 4 separate trainers. Gemma Tutty, in charge for this season, has handled the gelding impeccably, winning 3 times, the latest a 1 1/4l success under William Pyle over an Easterby – trained Copper Knight in the Taylor Wimpey Fountains Walk Handicap over 5f. How the Ripon crowd love him.
George Boughey provided the first of Tudhope’s three winners, and added to his array of promising juvenile talent with a ready maiden victory for Here Forever in the opening Theakstons Brewing Legends Restricted Stakes. Making all and dictating a modest pace, the son of Havana Grey only needed to be shaken up to put a margin of 5l between him and Michael Bell’s Ballybunion at the line.
Only 4 went to post for the second leg of the treble, (which might readily have been a five-timer given Tudhope finished runner-up in two other contests) a novice event over 1m4f. Tudhope was booked for the David O’Meara – trained Aequitas, sent off a red hot favourite at 30/100. Chris Grant’s Stitching Wheel made the running, but the jolly had no great difficulty in reeling him in over the final furlong to win a length.
It was a different story in the closing 2m handicap of the season. Again riding for O’Meara, Tudhope had to work for his riding fee. Astride The Crafty Mole, he made steady headway to lead two out, only to idle on the run-in, narrowly holding off Marbuzet by a short head. Expect to see both again in juvenile hurdles this winter.
A win for Marbuzet would have sealed a highly satisfactory Ripon season for Tim Easterby, but he didn’t leave the racecourse empty-handed. The Lloyd Land Rover Ripon Nursery provided the setting for Bearin Up to finally get his head in front at the 6th attempt under David Allan, and he ended the race going away by 1 1/4l. It crowned a season in which Easterby horses have been prevalent – 14 winners from 112 runners. This single winner, combined with Tudhope’s treble, dashed the hopes of rider David Allan to lead the jockeys’ table for the season.
O’Meara was never going to upset that particular title race, finishing with 11 winners and a remarkable 28% strike rate. In fact, all four of the leading trainers ranked by winners at Ripon this year bar Easterby have shown a profit to a £1 stake which is quite rare.
A double for Jason Hart was somewhat overshadowed by his fellow rider. Hart and Tudhope are a winner apart in the overall Jockeys’ Championship, albeit 50 winners behind Oisin Murphy. And Hart was shown at his best in the Ripon Cathedral City of the Dales Handicap over 6f when wresting the lead on Eye of Dubai in the closing stages to win by a neck for John & Sean Quinn.
Hart was able to provide favourite backers an odds against winner in the second handicap over 6f later in the card, when Mattice, drawn on the stands rail held off Flowstate under Tudhope, to win the Michael Raby Memorial. At 4/1 he was the only odds against favourite to oblige all day, being a third winner of the term for Ian McInnes, who trains at Catwick.
