Ripon, Wednesday 17 June 2026: Tips and Selections

Ripon, Wednesday 17 June 2026: Tips and Selections

A six-race evening card at Ripon on good to soft ground, and there is plenty to work with across three featured races. The Yorkshire track suits horses that travel through their race rather than front-runners that get rolled over late, and the going will put a premium on stamina in the longer trips. William Haggas fires at 29% here over a large sample, and James Tate’s 26% at the course with a positive A/E of 1.11 is a stat worth keeping in your back pocket tonight.

7:00 — Lloyd Land Rover Ripon Handicap (1m4f)

Selection: Scottish Dancer (9/2, Boyle Sports / Betfred / LiveScore Bet)

Six runners over a mile and four furlongs, and the one that catches the eye at the prices is Scottish Dancer, trained by Tim Reed and ridden by apprentice Millie Wonnacott. The form figure sequence of 211/12 is the most consistent in the field, showing a horse that knows how to win and has been placed almost every time it has run. Returning from a break can occasionally sharpen a horse up rather than blunt it, and the good to soft ground here should pose no problems for a seven-year-old that has clearly been competitive at this level before.

The 9/2 looks fair each-way given only two places are paid, but the win case is more interesting. Something is the market favourite at 9/4 and the form reads well, with a recent third and a win in the mix, but Billy Garritty’s course record here shows 16% winners at an A/E of 1.17, which is fine, though the Liam Bailey yard has had just one winner from five in the past fortnight. Winter Flower, from the Haggas yard which fires at 29% at this track, is understandably short at 15/8, but her last run was an eighth and the rebound has to happen before you take odds-on territory. Scottish Dancer at 9/2 is the value play.

7:30 — Wells Memorial Challenge Trophy Handicap (6f)

Selection: Glory Hyde (11/8, Boyle Sports / LiveScore Bet)

This is a small six-runner sprint handicap and the form of Glory Hyde makes this straightforward to assess. The sequence of 501511 tells you everything: this mare has won twice in her last four starts, finished fifth and first in those two most recent efforts before that, and she clearly suits this sort of ground and trip. Roger Fell has had one winner from eleven runners in the last fortnight, so the yard is not in red-hot form, but Glory Hyde’s personal form makes that a secondary concern.

Joanna Mason takes the ride and the combination of a horse in winning form, a clear preference for the trip, and a competitive handicap mark all point the same way. Mark’s Choice from the Gemma Tutty yard is worth a mention, given Tutty’s A/E of 1.35 at Ripon is the best of any trainer on the card, and the 11-062 form shows a horse that has won here before. At 9/2 there is each-way interest in Mark’s Choice as a secondary option, but Glory Hyde at 11/8 is the banker of the two in a small field.

5:57 — Book Online At ripon-races.co.uk Maiden Fillies’ Stakes (6f)

Selection: Penny Arcade (7/2, Boyle Sports / Betfred / LiveScore Bet)

Beauty Box is going to start at a price close to odds-on and the James Tate yard’s 26% at Ripon supports the idea she will go close. But the 4/11 on offer means you are risking a significant amount to win very little, and Penny Arcade at 7/2 represents genuine value for a filly with a form line of 423 in her three starts.

The K R Burke yard has produced 12 winners from 50 runners in the last 14 days, which is a strike rate of 24% and comfortably the hottest form of any handler on this card. Burke’s two-year-olds tend to improve sharply with each run, and Penny Arcade has placed three times from three attempts, showing she handles competition without finding a way past it yet. This is exactly the kind of situation where that improvement arrives. James Sullivan takes the ride and has a solid relationship with the Burke string.

Beauty Box may well win, but at 4/11 you are not being paid enough for the risk. Penny Arcade at 7/2 is the value selection in this field, particularly with a trainer firing at that kind of recent rate.

Today’s NAP

Penny Arcade — Maiden Fillies’ Stakes (5:57, Ripon)
Odds: 7/2 — Boyle Sports (others: 7/2 Betfred, 7/2 LiveScore Bet)

K R Burke has been on fire over the past fortnight with 12 winners from 50 runners, and Penny Arcade is exactly the type to come good third time out in a maiden. Three placed efforts show she is capable, and the step forward that Burke’s juveniles typically make between runs makes 7/2 look generous against a short-priced favourite who may not represent the value her market position suggests. Good to soft ground at Ripon poses no concerns, and James Sullivan is a reliable partner for this yard.