The biggest betting race of the day is the feature event of the season at beautiful Ripon, the Great St Wilfrid Handicap, a sprint over six furlongs and I fancy that the three-year-old Supplicant will have the legs of his elders.

Trained by last year’s winning handler Richard Fahey, the selection won two races as a juvenile over course and distance and ended his formative season with a clear cut-success in the Group Two Mill Reef Stakes at Newbury.

He returned to the Berkshire track on his three-year-old debut but was beaten fully 21 lengths by the smart Kingman. 

His last two runs have seen the astute Fahey drop his charge back to six furlongs and there was plenty to like about his last run when he made late headway to finish seventh of 15 in a hot handicap at Newmarket. 

Dropped a further 2lbs for that run and with another three pounds off his back courtesy of George Chaloner’s claim, Supplicant looks solid each-way value at around the 20/1 marker.   

In a race as competitive as this there are more than just a few dangers, but very few that will be suited by both the drying ground and be considered well handicapped as well.

Down the bottom of the weights, Pipers Note arrives here relatively fresh, in form and won’t mind the faster ground. 

It’s a bonus he has won over course and distance and he is preferred to the veteran Hitchens. The latter is both well weighted and a fast ground lover but most definitely on the downgrade.

The consolation race at 2.50 looks just as tricky so a narrow each-way vote goes in favour of the well handicapped Doc Hay. 

It was not so long ago that the selection was plying his trade in Group One and Group Two company and now has come the time to trust him to “turn up” here off an incredibly low mark of just 89, Englishman and Pea Shooter look the dangers.

Seventh of 23 in the Jersey Stakes at Royal Ascot, Coulsty is taken to defy top weight in the extended seven furlong handicap at Chester at 3.10. 

The selection got going all too late when a closing second to Intransigent over a furlong less at the track last time out and is taken to give the weight away to Dutch Courage and stable mate Champagne Sydney.  

Over at Newmarket, Gregoria is fancied to make it a hat-trick of wins in the opening nursery over seven furlongs at 1.50, while later on, the grey horse event maybe won by the veteran 10-year-old Baby Strange as long as the ground remains soft. 

The best wager at Newbury could well be Rawaki in the Geoffrey Freer Stakes at 2.40 following a promising run in the Fred Archer Stakes at Newmarket. 

The more rain the better for the Andrew Balding charge.