Book Online At Ripon-races.co.uk Handicap Stakes

16:10 Ripon Mon 31 Aug 2026 5f Class 5 Good 9 runners

Mr Fox’s call

Rock Of England

SPECULATIVE Advised 11/4 SP 11/4F Est. 32%

🏆 WON

Mr Fox says

Rock Of England (SR 85, 11/4) is the highest-rated horse in the field by a clear margin and has shortened 17% in the market — Oisin Murphy, a 21% career-strike-rate jockey, doesn't take a Class 5 five-furlong handicap ride at Ripon without confidence. He brings Course:W1P2 at this track, drops a class (ClassMv:↓1), and his recent form string 3-1-2-1-4-4 shows consistent competitiveness with two wins in the sequence. The MarkMv:+3 is a modest rise off his last win — manageable at this level — and the weight of 10-0 is shared with Our Absent Friends who rates considerably inferior on SR. The market move and connections alignment (Midgley's #1 with Murphy booked) make this a clear selection. Each-way alternative: Thornaby Pearl. Main danger: Canaria Queen — Canaria Queen (SR 76, 5/1) has shortened 17% in the market to match Rock Of England's move, carries a light 9-6, returns GoingFit:+ on today's good ground, has Course:W1P4 at Ripon, and drops a class — if the Easterby yard has targeted this race she represents genuine each-way danger to the selection.

Verify· #15273

Full result

Winner: Rock Of England (IRE) at SP 11/4F. Mr Fox’s picks highlighted in gold.

1 Rock Of England Fox #1 Paul Midgley · Oisin Murphy 5/2
2 Thornaby Pearl Fox #2 Adrian Nicholls · Oliver Carmichael(7) 7/1
3 Our Absent Friends Tristan Davidson · Jason Hart 13/2
4 Happier Fox #4 Martin Keighley · Harry Vigors(5) 17/2
5 Canaria Queen Fox #3 Tim Easterby · Duran Fentiman 6/1
6 Marajito Tim Easterby · Oisin McSweeney 14/1
7 Mark's Choice Gemma Tutty · Connor Beasley 4/1
8 Betweenthesticks Ruth Carr · James Sullivan 16/1
9 Glory Fighter Paul Midgley · David Nolan 33/1

Top 4 — how each finished

1 Rock Of England 11/4 SP 11/4F 🏆 WON
2 Thornaby Pearl 6/1 🥈 2ND
3 Canaria Queen 5/1 5TH
4 Happier 15/2 🏁 4TH