Ripon 4:05 Result

Sole Spirit's form figures 1161-7 show three wins from his last five starts including two in a row, and he carries the highest OR (65, joint-top with King's Road Dandy) into this weak Class 6 field. The blip figure "7" was his most recent run but coming off a break of 26 days he gets fresh conditions and Bryan Smart/Paul Mulrennan is a shrewd, in-form combination for the course. Draw 7 is workable at Ripon over 6f without being an obvious bias either way. Rivals like Jet Warrior and Good Karma have been running consistently but their profiles (0 in recent finishes, or fading late-season form figures like 400/433) suggest they're not battle-hardened winners in the same way. King's Road Dandy matches him on rating but has been off 87 days and his solitary placed effort came a while back – the big layoff is a concern for fitness in a sprint like this. Triple P is interesting on a quick upward curve (432) but is unproven at this trip/level against more experienced handicappers and is already dropping in class from a maiden/novice sphere. Overall, Sole Spirit's blend of proven winning form at a suitable class/trip, the strongest empirical figure among true form horses, and a10 trainer/jockey pairing with course understanding make him the swing selection. He looks the one to beat rather than a market create; if he's sent off favourite it will be with genuine substance behind it, not just名气.