Sam King tipped a 4/1 winner yesterday and returns with three selections on this super Saturday, including an unexposed stayer at Newmarket.
The William Hill Great St Wilfrid Handicap takes centre stage at Ripon and I'm happy to take a chance on Hyperfocus at the prices.
Although a nine-year-old, Tim Easterby's runner clearly retains all of his ability and shaped much better than the bare result in the Stewards' Cup at Goodwood last time. He showed up well for a long way on the wrong side of the track before fading and starts from a much better berth here in stall nineteen.
The dual course winner is back on his last winning mark and will relish the drop back to the minimum trip with some cut in the ground. The gelded son of Intense Focus beat last year's winner Intrinsic Bond by a head over course and distance earlier in the campaign and produced a taking Racing Post Rating of 100.
A mark of 93 is certainly workable for Tim Easterby's charge and he makes plenty of each-way appeal at a general 16/1.
Selection: Hyperfocus – General 16/1
Ralph Beckett can do little wrong at present with fifteen winners from his last forty-seven runners (32%) and it's easy to see why Mistressofillusion has found her way to the head of the market in the JenningsBet Fillies' Handicap at 3.45.
She shaped well in three outings prior to getting off the mark over a mile and a quarter at Kempton last time and posted a decent Racing Post Rating of 91 in the process. The form of that Kempton success is nothing to write home about, but she finished behind a subsequent winner when runner-up at Nottingham and still looks feasibly treated off an opening mark of 85.
The stoutly-bred daughter of Mastercraftsman is open to any amount of improvement now tackling 1m6f for the first time on her handicap bow and I'd be disappointed if she wasn't rated higher by the end of the season.
Selection: Mistressofillusion – General 3/1
We head to Doncaster for our third and final selection. It's the soccersofas.com Novice Stakes at 3.40 that catches my eye and Purple Love should take some stopping.
Richard Hannon said on his Unibet blog: "We thought she would end up one of our top fillies this time last year, but things just didn't work out, so we gave her plenty of time and I was delighted with her first run back at Newmarket last time."
It's clear she was obviously held in some regard having been sent off 13/8 to make a winning debut in a hot-looking Newbury maiden last season. She could never land a blow that day and hardly left her initial effort behind when a well-beaten sixth at Ascot next time.
However, she clearly benefitted from a sizeable break and returned to action with a solid third-place finish over a mile on the July course at Newmarket earlier in the month. It's entirely possible she's just a filly that has taken plenty of time to come to hand and the winner of that Newmarket novice event looks a potentially useful sort for Charlie Appleby.
The AMO Racing-owned daughter of Wootton Bassett should have no issue dropping back to seven furlongs and could take plenty of stopping with a replication of her recent effort at Newmarket last time.
Selection: Purple Love – General 15/8
