Six meetings today and the card splits cleanly down the middle. Seven horses we fancy at the shorter end, seven we are happy to take a chance on at a bigger price. The afternoon belongs to Ripon, the evening drifts under the lights at Southwell, and Ascot gives us a couple to keep the day ticking over.
Ripon is where we start and where most of the confidence sits. Pride Of Nepal goes in the 1:40 trying to make it three on the bounce, and a penalty has not stopped him heading the right way. His best came only last time out, the draw is kind, and everything about the profile says a horse still improving. An hour or so later King Of Fury lines up in the 2:50 with a trainer and jockey who both have a record of scoring round here. His last few runs read better than the bare numbers suggest, the class holds at this grade, and a small seven-runner field plays nicely to what he does well.
Down at Yarmouth, Nicator drops to a mark that finally looks worth taking on. He has put together a run of placed efforts that deserved more, the yard has won at the track before, and back on good to firm over a mile and a quarter he looks well in. Influential carries our other double-points play later on the same card.
The evening is all Southwell. Spirit Dreamer in the 7:00 is the one we lean on hardest, a lightly raced mare for a yard and rider who both deliver on this surface, with the weight in her favour and the figures pointing firmly up to that recent second. She tops a thin six-runner field. Star Of Mali carries the biggest stake of the day in the 8:00, and Gaurdman rounds things off in the 9:00.
For the bigger prices, Free Solo is the each-way call that makes sense at Leopardstown. He is posting quicker times every time he runs, the latest his best yet, and the finishing positions rather flatter to deceive. Drawn five in a big field, he is worth a small interest at the odds.
Yesterday gave us Blue Bolt at 4.0 to lead home a day that also saw Paddy De Pole, Indalo and Regulus Black all hit the frame. A solid return, and the kind of day we would happily take again.
Plenty to follow from first race to last. Ripon sets the tone, Southwell finishes the job.