BBOD - Monday 26th August

[robertob]

14.25 Ripon: Gioia Di Vita @ 11/2 Bet365 Gioia Di Vita made a big impression on me recently. This 3yo colt travelled like a dream at Newcastle ten days ago, still on the bridle even approaching the 1f marker. However he didn't get any run whatsoever and was eventually eased down. Of course he's much better than the bare result suggests and this was a conformation of his fine, consistent form actually as he was just beaten at the line in his penultimate start. Gioia Di Vita is still generally lightly raced and open to further improvement, and while this looks an open little handicap, I only really fear Lyric Piece of her a low mark. Otherwise I can't really see what makes Gioia Di Vita an 11/2 shot in this race, so I hope he can get a clear run and then should be very much in the mix here.

[cpo]

Re: BBOD - Monday 26th August 4.10 Ripon - Compton EW @ 25/1 BetVictor I think Compton is very interesting here returning to a mile for the first time since running in this race last year. He was trained by Ralph Beckett when sent off a 9/4 favourite in this race last year off a mark of 92. He could only finish 4th that day but managed to win a couple of races later at Ascot over 7f on soft ground. He won that day off 90 and backed that up with an excellent effort in a competitive race over the same CD off 93 in October. He has since been switched to Robert Cowell for the new season and he wasted no time in trying to reinvent this horse as a sprinter. It hasn't quite worked out with 4 disappointing runs over sprint trips so Cowell has chosen to step him back up in trip. A couple of runs ago he raced at Newcastle over 7f in a race won by the progressive Diescentric. He was fairly keen that day and appeared to get outpaced before plugging on again near the finish. On his latest start he finished tailed off last of 29 but he did chase a very quick pace, which eventually led to a track record from Galician. Even accounting for the fast pace, that run was too bad to be true so I would have thought maybe there was something else amiss with him. The step back up to a mile can only help Compton here and he returns to the track with the yard in a little better form now with a couple of good winners recently. Any more rain would be more than welcome for this horse as most of his best form has come on soft ground. He has a favourable low draw here as well and Sean Levey takes over from Adam Beschizza. It looks an open race with so many in with a chance but if Compton can rediscover his form from last season then he would go very close here. If he continues in the same form vein as what he has been showing in his last few runs then he has very little chance.