Ben Morgan’s Saturday tips – Ripon & Newbury – Witness Stand has a strong case

Ripon

2.40 – Mary to step forward at Ripon

A small novice event here given the prize money on offer which doesn’t look all that competitive.

A likely warm favourite may be susceptible over the ups and downs of Ripon and I think she is worth taking on with DOES MARY KNOW.

Eve Johnson-Houghton sends two up to Ripon today, a rare venture north for her, and it is this one who I really like.

He caught my eye on debut at Goodwood, lining up in a hot maiden with a pretty hefty price tag given connections.

Johnson-Houghton isn’t one to tilt at windmills so I thought his presence was interesting at least.

He ran a nice race, outpaced early on, showing signs of greenness before staying on quite powerfully behind the leading pack.

He came out comfortably on top of the stride data that day which suggests to me he will be better suited to this smaller field and potentially a more positive position early on.

With that run under his belt, I think he will be tough to beat here.

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2.55 – Easterby holds all the cards in Silver Cup

Tim Easterby, unsurprisingly, has a strong hand in the Silver Cup at Ripon tomorrow.

Of his battalion though, I like the clams of MISTER SOX who could be set to capitalise on a falling handicap mark back at his favourite track.

He boasts a fine record here and was even fifth in last year’s main event off an 8lb higher mark.

Other runs here have also yielded positive results and we all know this is a course which suits certain horses so I think he has to be a player here at 16/1.

A low draw may inconvenience him but the bias isn’t as pronounced these days so fingers crossed he can get away with it.

Newbury

3.10 – Witness now has his chance to speak

The Hungerford Stakes looks a very good opportunity for WITNESS STAND to get his head back in front after a couple of near misses recently.

A bold front runner who seems as tough as old boots almost retained his Lennox Stakes crown at Glorious Goodwood last time out only to be caught late on.

Last year he went from that race to finish a close second here so I am hoping history reverts itself and he can actually come here and win.

Looking at his rivals, I would question whether a lot of these will actually stay the trip as many are trying it for the first time.

Other horses who would appreciate the distance have questions to answer regarding recent form and ability to handle step up in grade.

This makes Witness Stand a rock solid option here at 13/2 with fast ground likely to help his cause from the front.

READ MORE: Andy Newton’s ITV Racing horse racing tips on Saturday 15th Aug – Back My Newbury NAP