Summerinthecity

The first four home in the Great St Wilfrid at Ripon on Saturday all came from the group on the far side and, in finishing first of those who raced on the stands side and fifth overall, Summerinthecity confirmed himself as an interesting horse again now.

There were only eight runners on the stands side, the far side group was larger, and Summerinthecity was stuck on the outside of the group, probably not the ideal place. He made good headway two furlongs out, however, and he surged ahead of the others on the stands side going inside the final furlong, but he gave away ground by drifting to his right out into the centre of the track. He couldn’t get on terms with the principals on the far side rail, but he still moved into fourth place half a furlong out before his exertions told and he lost that position late on. The race was run in a good time, it was a strong race, and David Nicholls’ horse was value for a fair bit more than the bare form suggests.

Summerinthecity put up a career-best on his previous run (the joint highest RPR of his life to go with the pick of his form from three years ago) when he was narrowly beaten by the hugely progressive Tropics in the Sky Bet Dash at York, the pair of them a little way clear, and he could still be a little under-rated now. He is on a career-high mark, but he is in the form of his life and his stable is just starting to run into a little form now after a very quiet spell, so there could be even more to come from him in that regard. He is probably at his best on ground with some ease in it – there had been rain at Ripon on Saturday but the ground was still quick – and he will be of interest whenever he runs next.

17th August 2013