'It's definitely an advantage to be drawn very high or very low' - key trainer quotes for the day's big punting puzzle

Few trainers are as well versed in the idiosyncrasies of Ripon than Tim Easterby, who has sent out more winners at the North Yorkshire track than any other trainer in the last five years.

Easterby is adamant a horse needs to be drawn very high or very low to land a big-field sprint handicap at Ripon, and his two runners, Hyperfocus and Bay Breeze, both fall into that category.

Hyperfocus won at Ripon in April and is drawn on the stands’ side in stall 19, while Bay Breeze, who took a four-runner handicap over the course and distance last time out, will race on the far side from stall five.

Easterby has won the £100,000 handicap three times, most recently when Staxton landed a significant gamble from stall 17 in 2020 and Bay Breeze is likeliest to to give the trainer a record fourth success according to the betting.

 “It’s definitely an advantage to be very high or very low,” said Easterby. “Stall five for Bay Breeze is a good draw too. Any more rain would suit him as well. 

"Hyperfocus is in good order. The more rain the better for him. Stall 19 sounds good to me.”

What they say

Phil Kirby, trainer of Anthem National
It’s a starting point for him. We’ve been struggling with the ground lately - it keeps going soft. He wants good ground at worst. He seems very straightforward, and his form looks very solid. His mark went up for his last run when second to Commanche Falls. We’ll see where we are with him.

Mick Appleby, trainer of King Of Bavaria and Aphelios
King Of Bavaria is in great order. I think the track will suit him. I’m sure he can win off his current mark, and he goes there with a decent chance. Aphelios isn’t certain to run. He ran well at Windsor on Thursday night where he didn’t enjoy any luck in running. It was a brilliant run from him at Goodwood in the Stewards’ Cup the time before.

David O’Meara, trainer of Summerghand and Gulliver
Summerghand had a little bit of a mishap in the stalls at Goodwood. He's passed his stalls test since, and the drier the better for him. Gulliver is back after a break. He won’t mind any rain and has run well at Ripon before. We’ve one on either side of the track. You need to be drawn very high or very low to win this race.

Steve Brown, assistant to Julie Camacho, trainer of Raatea
He’s fit and well, but I’m unsure about the track. I’m not unhappy with the draw, and I could see him going well if he handles the track. It’s a great prize.

Mark Walford, trainer of It Just Takes Time
He’s had another good season, and has progressed well. It’s a tough race, and he’s drawn on the stands’ side. I’m not sure that’s an advantage – low numbers tend to do best there in that type of race. If he runs well he’ll go to Ayr next month for the Gold or Silver Cup.

Nigel Tinkler, trainer of Lakota Blue
I’m very happy with him. He’s drawn on the far rail which could be a good draw. If it rains I think the far side is definitely where you want to be. It was a very good run from him at Goodwood, but the third [Another Baar] failed to frank the form at Windsor when well beaten on Thursday night which was disappointing.

Adam Ryan, assistant to Kevin Ryan, trainer of Dream For Gold
He’s a progressive three-year-old who has been running consistently well all year. Stall three is probably not ideal, but he’s in good order.

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