Three bets at Ripon & Newbury....

Friday, 15th August 2025

Three bets at Ripon & Newbury….

In ATC today….

…. I swing the bat in all the weekend’s biggest betting heats….

I’m on ALZAHIR in the 3.20 at Ripon – up at 9s….

…. I’m on LEADMAN at 9s in the 3.00 at Newbury….

…. and I’m on STAR CHORUS at 10s in the 2.25 at Newbury….

That’s the summary….

…. you’ll find all my reasoning below – as per usual….

Oh…. and if you’re looking for the standout place terms on offer – you’ll find them in the Bet Box below….

Read on….

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Ripon gets its big day in the sun tomorrow – and the Great St Wilfrid (3.20) is the day’s feature handicap….

Double-figure stalls won seven of the last 10 renewals – five of those winners grabbed the nearside rail early doors and never looked back….

If that’s the blueprint then ALZAHIR is the horse best-placed to make good on it tomorrow….

…. drawn in stall 17 he’s no slouch – as he showed when winning for this column at Ascot in July over 5f – with exactly the kind of front-running performance required this weekend….

This is over 6f, but I’m not concerned about that. He was trying 5f for the first time at Ascot and his trainer – despite the win – says he’s better with the extra yardage he’ll get at Ripon….

He has to bounce back from a couple of sub-par efforts at York and at Goodwood….

You might take the view that the handicapper’s caught up with him following a busy season that’s seen him register multiple wins….

…. but he’s only 2lb higher than when winning at Ascot and – whilst I don’t know what went wrong at York – he wasn’t on the best part of the track at Goodwood….

…. and I reckon he must still be showing sufficient at home for trainer Jennie Candlish to persist with him….

I reckon he’s got a solid opportunity tomorrow to get very competitive against a field of largely exposed horses – and the 9s is a fair price….

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Moving on to the TPT Fire Handicap at Newbury (3.00)….

LEADMAN’S performance at Goodwood was described by the Racing Post’s race reader as ‘disappointing’….

…. and it was….

…. he finished 18/20 beaten almost 13 lengths in the C3 handicap over 7f having been sent off the third favourite at 6s….

The poor placing had nothing to do with the interference he encountered in the early stages of the race – though that was unhelpful….

…. and had more to do – in my view – with simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time….

He’d gotten too far back in a race where it paid to be up with the pace….

…. and in the later stages – when he might have been expected to make some progress – William Buck had ridden him into a pocket from where there was no escape….

With any glimmer of a chance gone Buick pretty much stopped riding and saved the horse for another afternoon – and I can’t take the finishing position or the distance of defeat at face value….

Bottom line – I think it was one of those outcomes you get at Goodwood from time to time….

The time before Leadman had won at Newmarket on his first go for 55 days – for which he’s up 5lb to 88….

…. and when you think he had Two Tribes back in third on the day – that one improving a stone in the rankings since – I reckon he’s worth another chance off his revised mark at the 9s….

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There’s an exposed feel to the D&H, Excellence In Nutrition Handicap at Newbury (2.25)….

…. and I can completely understand why Getreadytorumble heads the betting after his 1-length defeat to Nanna’s Sparkle in a hot handicap at Goodwood last time out….

…. he’s got youth on his side, he’s unexposed, and he gets to run off the same mark of 90….

But my job – where possible – is to dig out alternative options at fancier prices – and I must look elsewhere….

Rhythm N Hooves has been running to form in lesser races for the latter part of the summer and requires consideration….

…. but my preference at the prices is STAR CHORUS at 10s….

…. one of three 3yos in the field – and one who will surely prove better a current mark of 76….

He wouldn’t have been suited to conditions at Goodwood last time and did himself no favours being a little tardy exiting the stalls….

…. but he showed a flash of something – making a move under Silvestre De Sousa inside the final quarter mile….

It came to nothing with De Sousa’s options being to run into the back end of opposition horses, go out wide (pointless), or to call it a day….

Like Buick on Leadman, De Sousa chose to quit his urgings and Star Chorus wound up finishing stone last….

The time before we’d seen an improved performance in a first-time tongue tie combined with the habitual hood….

…. and a literal reading of the Goodwood result would be a false reading….

I doubt we’re at the ceiling with this horse and on better ground and Oisin Murphy back in the saddle, I reckon he’s worth a punt at the price in a file containing a fair few exposed and out-of-form old stagers….
  
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Now, just to recap….

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That’s all for today….

I’ll be back on Tuesday for a BIG week of handicap action at York’s Ebor meeting….

Meantime – contact me at – nick.pullen@spapublishinggroup.co.uk

And remember – win, lose or draw – enjoy the racing….

Stay tuned….

Against the Crowd