Allan Dickman, who trains a dozen or so horses at Sand Hutton, near Thirsk, can celebrate his biggest-ever success at Ripon tomorrow with Inter Vision in the historic Great St Wilfrid Handicap.
No horse in the field for this £50,000 event will be as familiar with the undulations of Ripon's sprint track as Inter Vision, who has won three times on the course, and who has also been placed twice.
Furthermore, his latest success, from the three wins he has clocked-up this season, was achieved at his favourite venue. That form has worked out nicely, with runner-up Artie going one better at Beverley this week.
Apprentice rider Marc Halford has struck-up a good rapport with Inter Vision, who is napped to add to his tally of Ripon successes, probably at the expense of the similarly in-form Texas Gold and Mr Wolf, and provide Dickman with a day to remember.
The programme at the North Yorkshire track kicks-off with the £12,000 Ripon Horn Blower Stakes, in which Campbeltown is fancied to take plenty of beating.
The juvenile is as tough and consistent as they come and is trained by Eoghan O'Neill, whose two-year-olds have been in blinding form all summer. He should give a good account of himself.
Opening Ceremony, a winner for Richard Fahey at Beverley yesterday, can complete a quick double in the European Breeders' Fund Fillies' Handicap, while Vale De Lobo, who ran well in defeat at Goodwood last time, has strong claims in the Ripon Cathedral Handicap.
At Newbury, Attraction returns to the racecourse in the Stan James Hungerford Stakes on her first outing since she finished unplaced - and sustained a fetlock injury - in the Champions Mile at Sha Tin in Hong Kong in May.
Mark Johnston's stable-star, who won four Group 1 races last year, including the English-Irish 1,000 Guineas double, faces a stiff task conceding weight all-round in this Group 3 contest, and preference is for Nayyir, who finished a close-up fourth to Proclamation in the Group 1 Sussex Stakes at Goodwood recently.
Mamool, who bounced back from injury to win in pleasing style at Goodwood, can follow-up in Newbury's richest race, the £90,000 Stan James Geoffrey Freer Stakes. Kerrin McEvoy, also the rider of Nayyir, will be in the saddle.
Strut, who got off the mark at Windsor last Saturday, can prove herself a smart sprinter in the making by adding the St Hugh's Listed Fillies' Stakes to her list of scalps. Steve Drowne again has the mount.
At Newmarket, the sportingodds.com Grey Horse Handicap offers Tim Easterby's Paris Bell the chance to get back in the winning groove.
A Ripon winner in mid-summer, Paris Bell has run some good races since and tomorrow, at least, he will have only horses of a similar colour to contend with in the only race in the calendar restricted to greys.
Also worth noting at Newmarket is Tax Free, trained by David Nicholls, in the NGK Spark Plugs 30th Anniversary Handicap. Winner of three of his four starts this term, Seb Sanders' mount was triumphant on this course last month.
Saturday's tips:
Ripon
2-15 Campbeltown, 2-45 California Laws, 3-15 Inter Vision (NAP), 3-45 Opening Ceremony, 4-20 Royal Composer, 4-55 Vale De Lobo
Newbury
1-00 All Ivory, 1-35 Lemon Drop Lad, 2-10 Strut, 2-50 Nayyir, 3-25 Mamool, 3-55 Criminal Act, 4-30 The Jobber, 5-00 Roman Villa
Newmarket
2-05 Tax Free, 2-35 Paris Bell, 3-10 Natural Force, 3-40 Saxon Saint, 4-15 Bolodenka, 4-45 Rawdon, 5-20 Taboor
The other race meetings tomorrow are at: Bangor, Goodwood and Market Rasen.
Updated: 13:00 Friday, August 12, 2005
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