Key Points
- My Thursday betting tip has placed first and second in the last two renewals of this race
- Judging from his previous winning marks, this horse is handicapped to strike!
- This boy bounced back to form last time out, and he should be spot on today!
My betting tip for today runs in the 6f Handicap at Ripon. There are a number of reasons I think this eight-year-old grey gelding can run a huge race here, and I’ll be breaking them down in this article for you. To me, he looks fantastic value, and well worth an each way bet.
If you’re new to my betting.co.uk articles, I post four articles most weeks. These are mostly betting tips, but you’ll also come across big race trends and antepost picks too. Speaking of the latter, I have already put up antepost selections for both the 2026 Cheltenham Festival and the 2026 Grand National, so if you haven’t already seen those, make sure you take a look. Lastly, I will be posting a betting tip tomorrow, and another for Saturday’s racing action too, so make sure you check back in to see those.
Betting advice
- 16:20 Ripon -
Hurstwood
@ 11/2 (4 places) -
0.5pt each way
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Hurstwood knows how to win this race!
As the old saying goes, horses for courses and Hurstwood certainly loves it here at Ripon. He also loves this particular race, so hopefully he can put on another big performance for us today.
In the last two renewals, Hurstwood has achieved a win and a second place!
Hurstwood won the 2023 renewal of this race, winning comfortably off a mark of 55. He came back to contest again in 2024, off a 1lb higher mark of 56. However, he encountered Run This Way, who had won his previous race, then went on to complete the hat trick next time out off a 7lb higher mark!
It’s safe to say Hurstwood bumped into one there! Looking beyond this race, he has won two further races over C&D, so it’s clear he feels completely at home here, which is always a huge plus.
Looking at his previous winning marks, Hurstwood is handicapped to strike!
During his racing career, Hurstwood has recorded a total of nine victories. And with the exception of one win on the All Weather at Newcastle, they have all come on Turf.
Six of his eight wins on Turf have been in Handicap company, coming off marks of 59, 48, 53, 58, 55 and 54.
As he is running off a mark of 50 today, he looks handicapped to win to me. Particularly so when you consider that his win and second place in the last two renewals of this race came off marks of 55 and 56.
Since October 2024, Hurstwood has been exclusively campaigned on the All Weather track up at Newcastle. He has recorded just one win from 25 starts on the AW, and his last eight races failed to produce a win. That said, he did go close on one occasion, going down by just half a length. However, those eight races saw his mark tumble from 58 to just 49.
After a 72-day break, Hurstwood returned to the Turf at Thirsk earlier this month. He bounced back to form with a very close second place, beaten by just half a length. He travelled strongly through the race that day, and considering he raced alone on the far side of the track, I thought that performance could be marked up.
I’d say that he was expected to come on for that run. He ran off a mark of 49, producing a RPR of 58 and he’s only been raised 1lb for that, putting him up to a mark of 50. A repeat of his last performance could be sufficient for Hurstwood to get his nose in front here.
Can Hurstwood add another win to his record here?
With all facts considered, I think Hurstwood has a fantastic chance of repeating his 2023 victory in this race. He looked so much happier back on the Turf last time out, and returning to Ripon will surely be even better for him. Jockey Aiden Brookes claims 3lb, and he got a fantastic tune out of Hurstwood last time, so it’s good to see him retain the ride today.
We should also consider that Hurstwood’s last race was a Class 6 (0-60) Handicap, but today he drops down into the 0-55 bracket. In theory, this should be an easier race for him, but he will carry more weight to reflect that.
As an eight-year-old, with 71 runs under his belt, who is rated at just 50 in a very low-level race, I feel he has a decent chance. Conversely, although Hurstwood is pretty versatile, I would have preferred the ground on the quicker side, as the majority of his wins have come on Good to Firm. As a result, I’m not getting carried away, and I’m limiting my bet to half stakes.
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