William Hill is sponsoring the Great St Wilfrid Stakes for the 24th year running at the North’s ‘Garden Racecourse’ but have been strangely reluctant to price up this year’s renewal of the £75,000 sprint.
Great St Wilfrid Stakes History and Trends
Wilfrid was one of the greatest of English saints but also one of the more controversial. His links to Ripon are tenuous to say the least but he is the town’s patron saint and his name has long been associated with the racecourse’s biggest day of the year.
This is one race in the calendar in which the local trainers hate to be outshone by their southern counterparts. The last seven winners have all been trained in Yorkshire – David O’Meara has won in three times in the last six years and Richard Fahey twice. O’Meara has two runners this year and Fahey four and the latter has high hopes for Growl this year. Last year’s winner, Nameitwhatyoulike, also takes part again.
The one trend that punters must get on their side is that the last 11 winners of the Great St Wilfrid Stakes have had a BHA rating of between 92 and 100. That implies that the top three in the handicap, the aforementioned Growl, Kachy and 2014 winner Out Do will all have to produce exceptional performances to prevail.
Most recent winners had won at least a Class 3 handicap previously and though the three-year-old Don’t Touch won two years ago, those aged between four and seven have generally fared best. It’s usually an advantage to have raced in the three weeks previously and to have been placed at least once in the last three starts but this is not usually a race for sprinters that have been on the go for while.
Three winners of the last four winners have had single-figure draws but, prior to 2014, a higher draw had been an advantage and Nameitwhatyoulike reversed the recent trend last year.
Growl finished ahead of Classic Seniority, Eastern Impact and Al Qahwa in the Stewards’ Cup at Goodwood but the latter could have the plum draw today in stall 20 and had earlier chased home Flying Pursuit at York. The 16/1 with Betvictor probably represents some value but the same firm have RIGHT TOUCH at 20/1, which sounds even better.
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Richard Fahey thinks that Right Touch may be a couple of pounds too high in the weights but I tend to disagree. He beat the smart Kimberella at Chester last year off the same mark and was fifth at Ripon, only beaten two lengths, off 4lb higher in the spring. He’s been raced over further since but has only had four runs this year and is obviously being saved for something special – this may be it.
Great St Wilfrid Stakes Current Best Odds
Growl (5/1), Shanghai Glory (10/1), Flying Pursuit and Pipers Note (12/1), Robero, Kachy and Out Do (14/1), Al Qahwa, Eastern Impact and Muntadab (16/1), Nameitwhatyoulike, Classic Seniority, George Bowen and Right Touch (20/1), George Dryden, Hoofalong , Maarek, Mattmu and Snap Shots (25/1), Naadirr (33/1)
