Ripon Placepot: Monday July 8

Kieren Fallon will be aboard Line Of Reason at 20:20.

Timeform's Matt Gardner tackles the Placepot at Ripon on Monday evening...

18:50 - Mick Easterby's Perfect Pasture hasn't looked the most straightforward to date but the suspicion is that he is a sprinter rather than just temperamental, so he is well worth a chance now dropping to six furlongs. We're also going to take Rose Of May, who seemed unsuited by the switch to fibresand on handicap debut but had been shaping up well in maidens prior to that and she could well bounce back. 

19:20 - Oyster was a fairly cheap purchase at the sales and, though he shaped with plenty of encouragement on debut at Newbury, that was far from being a strong race and we're going to take her on with The Dukkerer and Where The Boys Are. The first mentioned has run to a similar level in a couple of outings at Musselburgh and is bred to appreciate this extra furlong whilst Where The Boys Are, trained by Ed McMahon, offered something to work on in a Haydock maiden that has thrown up a couple of winners and she ought to progress. 

19:50 - The executives at Ripon racecourse must be disappointed with the turn out for this handicap with just three going to post, also creating a nightmare for Placepot hunters. With reservations about both Mark Johnston horses and Duke Of Yorkshire yet to win a race after nine attempts we're faced with no option but to include all three. 

20:20 - Let's cross our fingers that there is not a non-runner in this race, as that would reduce the field to seven and leave just two places to aim at. It's a pretty open event but we need to stick in a banker having gone overboard in the last race and the one selected is Line Of Reason, who has gone well each time he has encountered six furlongs on fast ground and he boasts some fairly strong form having finished second to Moviesta at Doncaster in April. 

20:50 - The Kevin Ryan-trained Cupertino makes most appeal of those with experience and he strikes as being a decent starting point in a fairly weak maiden. It's also worth including Outset, who cost $100,000 as a yearling, represents top connections and wouldn't need to be anything out of the ordinary to make an impact on debut here. 

21:20 - I don't want to bank in the final leg but equally I don't want to splurge 48 lines on a Monday evening Placepot, so I'm in something of a quandary here. 12 runners at least affords us a third place to aim at so we're going to rely solely on Icy Blue, who hasn't won for over two years and is fairly temperamental. However, the signs have been encouraging on his last two starts and he is now 9 lb lower than when finishing third in this race 12 months ago so, with his stable in good form, he should go well if putting his best foot forward. 

Selections:
18:50 - 8, 10
19:20 - 3, 4
19:50 - 1, 2, 3
20:20 - 1
20:50 - 6, 9
21:20 - 8
= 24 lines

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