Discanti can prove that lightning strikes in the same place twice at Ripon this evening by winning the West Moor Stud Handicap for the second successive year on behalf of North Yorkshire trainer Tim Easterby, who can also land the feature race on the card with Jonny Lesters Hair.

Discanti has had two outings this season and should now be cherry ripe.

A good second here on his reappearance, he was subsequently beaten little more than two lengths into fifth place behind Flipando at Pontefract.

He is well drawn tonight and, although he races off a mark 9lb higher than when winning this six furlong dash 12 months ago, he ticks all the right boxes to produce an encore.

Duran Fentiman, riding out of his skin this season, also takes the mount on Jonny Lesters Hair in the £12,000 SIS OB Services Handicap.

The six-year-old shaped well, despite racing too freely, when fifth to Bonfire Knight on his reappearance at Doncaster.

He is a previous course and distance winner here and is expected to go well for Easterby, who has such a tremendous record at Ripon.

Easterby and Fentiman also have good prospects with the promising Blue Shoes in the opening Isis Maiden Stakes, but marginal preference is for One Kool Dude, trained by Richard Fahey and the mount of Tony Hamilton.

Three runs to date have seen One Kool Dude finish in the frame each time.

He has been beaten by some decent rivals and has done precious little wrong. He deserves to get his head in front.

Tomorrow at Haydock, a big day is promised for North Yorkshire trainer David Nicholls, who runs both Redford and Victoire de Lyphar, who finished first and second in last season’s Ayr Gold Cup.

Redford tackles the £30,000 toteplacepot Spring Trophy over seven furlongs, a distance which comes easily to him.

Runner-up to stable-mate Evens And Odds over six furlongs at Thirsk last month, Redford should have benefited from that outing and is napped to take plenty of beating in this Listed contest.

The £20,000 Bet totepool at Totesport.com Conditions Stakes over six furlongs is the target for Victoire de Lyphar, a horse who has always been rated highly by Nicholls, who placed him to win a major handicap at York last season.

The Sessay trainer has always maintained that age and maturity would bring further improvement in this useful horse and while tomorrow’s comeback run may well bring him on, he should make a bold bid.

In the Bet Totepool Handicap, Bourne makes plenty of appeal, after a promising reappearance at Newbury last month.

Luca Cumani’s charge finished fourth to Modun and looks the type to enjoy a fruitful campaign after winning both his races last season.

The other three races on the mixed Haydock card are over jumps, which means the final declarations would not be known until this morning. The highlight is the Totescoop6 Swinton Handicap Hurdle. If Red Merlin, a recent Wetherby winner, is among the runners, he could complete a great week for Donald McCain, successful with Overturn in Wednesday’s Chester Cup.

Racing selections

Ripon (today)

5.40 One Kool Dude, 6.10 Song To The Moon, 6.45 Discanti, 7.15 Jonny Lesters Hair, 7.50 Pearl Storm, 8.25 Spruzzo.

Today’s other meetings

Aintree, Ascot, Chester, Hamilton, Lingfield and Nottingham.

Haydock (tomorrow) – selected races

2.00 Redford (NAP), 2.30 Banksy, 4.10 Victoire de Lyphar, 5.20 Bourne.

Tomorrow’s other meetings

Ascot, Hexham, Lingfield, Nottingham, Thirsk and Warwick.