Raceday LIVE – Ribbon Is A Dancer
Kempton,
Wed 11 Dec 2024 17:40
Related horse(s):
Ribbon Is A Dancer
Ribbon Is A Dancer heads to Kempton this evening for just his second start for trainer Hugo Palmer in the Class 4 EBF Novice Stakes (17:40).
Read our Raceday LIVE Preview below and join us ahead of the race for all the build-up and live updates from the track with the team and Ribbon Is A Dancer's lucky owners for the day across our social channels on X (@coral) and Instagram (@coralofficial).
Raceday LIVE Preview
It's been almost a month since we saw Ribbon Is A Dancer make his debut for the Club at Southwell in what turned out to be a tough start to competitive action for our two-year-old colt. Before the race got underway, we knew it might be difficult as he was drawn in the widest stall of all in 11, but a tardy start didn't help him either and as a consequence he was very much on the back foot after the first furlong.
Jockey Liam Wright did what he could to try get Ribbon Is A Dancer closer to the main pack as the race progressed, but as they approached the turn for home, there was still around 10 lengths from front to back with Ribbon Is A Dancer in last place. Liam kept him up to his work down the home straight, but as they hit the line, the pair eventually came home in 10th place (11 ran).
On the face of the performance it looked pretty disappointing, but considering the draw, the slow start, and the fact Ribbon Is A Dancer was very green throughout with it being his first ever racecourse experience, there was certainly some positives to take from it and he'll have definitely learned a lot which as a novice is the main thing.
Two of Ribbon Is A Dancer's owners at Southwell
In his latest update last week, trainer Hugo Palmer told us how on reflection of Ribbon Is A Dancer's debut effort, he felt the whole experience might've just been a bit overwhelming for him which isn't unusual for such a young horse.
'I think he’ll probably need three runs to get his handicap mark, and in those runs he’ll also gain more experience, so we’ll look to get two runs into him in the near future.'
Even with the very best two-year-old racehorses who are having their first few competitive runs, they're still constantly learning, and their trainers are doing exactly the same. During this time it gives trainers a chance to understand what type of racecourse could suit them the best, what distance might be their optimum trip, what type of ground they prefer and so on. Some horses take more time then others to find their feet, and some horses just need to find their level where they can be competitive and show their true colours.
This evening Ribbon Is A Dancer steps up from six furlongs to seven, and he also has a new jockey in the saddle as Joe Leavy takes the reins for the first time for the Coral Racing Club. Unfortunately the draw once again hasn't been kind to us as he'll be in stall 9, but with the extra distance the pace of the race should make it easier for Ribbon Is A Dancer to get into a nice position early on if he can break well.
Raceday update from trainer Hugo Palmer
"Ribbon Is A Dancer ran no race at all on Southwell on debut, he was slowly away and was just very green, which is not unusual for a horse making his first racecourse appearance. We’ll probably need to give him three runs and get him handicapped, so he’s having the second of those starts here at Kempton.
We might also get him gelded before too long, but we’ll see how he goes here. I’m hoping the extra furlong will help him settle better than last time, as hopefully they won’t go quite as fast early, and as it’s not his first run, the whole experience should be less overwhelming for him.
Joe Leavy rides, he’s a talented young rider who only just missed out on being champion apprentice. He’s attached to Richard Hannon’s yard, but has ridden for me and I’ve been impressed with him. There will be a few horses in this race learning their trade, and that’s what we’re looking for, to continue this horse’s education."
Chris Dixon, Racing TV Analyst, gives us an exclusive preview of today's 17:40 at Kempton
Ribbon Is A Dancer was very green from an early stage on debut and never got into the race from a wide draw. He’ll need to improve significantly to make any sort of impact second time out and though the step up in distance could be a help, it’s fairly hard to envisage enough progress to make a telling blow in the closing stages here. At this early stage he looks a more likely type for handicaps and this run, with experience to now call upon, will hopefully give some longer term encouragement and give a bit more of a guide to his level of ability.
The form standard of those to have shown most going into this race isn’t particularly high, with the performances of Jarham and Happy Banner looking like mid 70’s in terms of rating at this stage. Of those two I think Jarham has the more solid look and he also is the one most likely to progress given he takes a step up in distance from 6f to 7f here. He has quite a bit of stamina in the dam side of his pedigree and is likely to stay beyond this trip in time, a view backed up by the way he’s run in a couple of starts so far. He needs to prove himself on an AW surface which isn’t the case for Happy Banner who ran well when third at Newcastle last time but doesn’t look quite as likely to find improvement. Jenubiyah is the other to note given her pedigree (by Too Darn Hot out of a winning sister to the top-class Taghrooda) and the fact she comes from a top stable who have won this race in the past.
Trainer and Jockey Statistics
Hugo Palmer has been quiet of late in terms of runners having only sent out four in the past two weeks, with only one of them finishing in the top three. In the past five years, Hugo has had 33 two-year-old winners on the all-weather (15%), with a further 67 finishing either second or third.
Joe Leavy rides all three of Hugo's runners at Kempton tomorrow, and the young apprentice jockey has a decent record for the Cheshire based trainer with three wins from 18 efforts. Joe has had a sensational year so far in the saddle, and was only just pipped to the Flat Apprentice Jockeys' Championship title earlier this year, so hopefully he'll be able to continue that success over the winter months.
Ribbon Is A Dancer's Owners for the Day
As winners of the recent Owner for the Day competition, 10 lucky Coral Racing Club members have been given the chance to enjoy an exclusive owners experience for Ribbon Is A Dancer's run at Kempton this evening.
Each winner, along with a guest of their choosing, will receive free entry to Kempton Racecourse, including exclusive access to Owners & Trainers areas. They'll have the opportunity to meet Ribbon Is A Dancer and the Hugo Palmer team, plus get to head into the parade ring before the race begins to be amongst all the other owners, trainers and jockeys. And last but by no means least, each winner will get to take home an equal 10% split of any prize money won by Ribbon Is A Dancer.
Prize Money
Today's Class 4 contest is worth £9,900 in total, with the winner set to scoop £5,346 for their lucky owners.
2nd: £2,509 | 3rd: £1,255 | 4th: £627
KEMPTON 17:40 – LATEST ODDS
We hope you enjoyed reading today's Raceday LIVE Preview. Don't forget to tune in just before 17:40 to watch Ribbon Is A Dancer's second run for the club live on the Coral Sports app.
Read our Raceday LIVE Preview below and join us ahead of the race for all the build-up and live updates from the track with the team and Ribbon Is A Dancer's lucky owners for the day across our social channels on X (@coral) and Instagram (@coralofficial).
Raceday LIVE Preview
It's been almost a month since we saw Ribbon Is A Dancer make his debut for the Club at Southwell in what turned out to be a tough start to competitive action for our two-year-old colt. Before the race got underway, we knew it might be difficult as he was drawn in the widest stall of all in 11, but a tardy start didn't help him either and as a consequence he was very much on the back foot after the first furlong.
Jockey Liam Wright did what he could to try get Ribbon Is A Dancer closer to the main pack as the race progressed, but as they approached the turn for home, there was still around 10 lengths from front to back with Ribbon Is A Dancer in last place. Liam kept him up to his work down the home straight, but as they hit the line, the pair eventually came home in 10th place (11 ran).
On the face of the performance it looked pretty disappointing, but considering the draw, the slow start, and the fact Ribbon Is A Dancer was very green throughout with it being his first ever racecourse experience, there was certainly some positives to take from it and he'll have definitely learned a lot which as a novice is the main thing.
Two of Ribbon Is A Dancer's owners at Southwell
In his latest update last week, trainer Hugo Palmer told us how on reflection of Ribbon Is A Dancer's debut effort, he felt the whole experience might've just been a bit overwhelming for him which isn't unusual for such a young horse.
'I think he’ll probably need three runs to get his handicap mark, and in those runs he’ll also gain more experience, so we’ll look to get two runs into him in the near future.'
Even with the very best two-year-old racehorses who are having their first few competitive runs, they're still constantly learning, and their trainers are doing exactly the same. During this time it gives trainers a chance to understand what type of racecourse could suit them the best, what distance might be their optimum trip, what type of ground they prefer and so on. Some horses take more time then others to find their feet, and some horses just need to find their level where they can be competitive and show their true colours.
This evening Ribbon Is A Dancer steps up from six furlongs to seven, and he also has a new jockey in the saddle as Joe Leavy takes the reins for the first time for the Coral Racing Club. Unfortunately the draw once again hasn't been kind to us as he'll be in stall 9, but with the extra distance the pace of the race should make it easier for Ribbon Is A Dancer to get into a nice position early on if he can break well.
Raceday update from trainer Hugo Palmer
"Ribbon Is A Dancer ran no race at all on Southwell on debut, he was slowly away and was just very green, which is not unusual for a horse making his first racecourse appearance. We’ll probably need to give him three runs and get him handicapped, so he’s having the second of those starts here at Kempton.
We might also get him gelded before too long, but we’ll see how he goes here. I’m hoping the extra furlong will help him settle better than last time, as hopefully they won’t go quite as fast early, and as it’s not his first run, the whole experience should be less overwhelming for him.
Joe Leavy rides, he’s a talented young rider who only just missed out on being champion apprentice. He’s attached to Richard Hannon’s yard, but has ridden for me and I’ve been impressed with him. There will be a few horses in this race learning their trade, and that’s what we’re looking for, to continue this horse’s education."
Chris Dixon, Racing TV Analyst, gives us an exclusive preview of today's 17:40 at Kempton
Ribbon Is A Dancer was very green from an early stage on debut and never got into the race from a wide draw. He’ll need to improve significantly to make any sort of impact second time out and though the step up in distance could be a help, it’s fairly hard to envisage enough progress to make a telling blow in the closing stages here. At this early stage he looks a more likely type for handicaps and this run, with experience to now call upon, will hopefully give some longer term encouragement and give a bit more of a guide to his level of ability.
The form standard of those to have shown most going into this race isn’t particularly high, with the performances of Jarham and Happy Banner looking like mid 70’s in terms of rating at this stage. Of those two I think Jarham has the more solid look and he also is the one most likely to progress given he takes a step up in distance from 6f to 7f here. He has quite a bit of stamina in the dam side of his pedigree and is likely to stay beyond this trip in time, a view backed up by the way he’s run in a couple of starts so far. He needs to prove himself on an AW surface which isn’t the case for Happy Banner who ran well when third at Newcastle last time but doesn’t look quite as likely to find improvement. Jenubiyah is the other to note given her pedigree (by Too Darn Hot out of a winning sister to the top-class Taghrooda) and the fact she comes from a top stable who have won this race in the past.
Trainer and Jockey Statistics
Hugo Palmer has been quiet of late in terms of runners having only sent out four in the past two weeks, with only one of them finishing in the top three. In the past five years, Hugo has had 33 two-year-old winners on the all-weather (15%), with a further 67 finishing either second or third.
Joe Leavy rides all three of Hugo's runners at Kempton tomorrow, and the young apprentice jockey has a decent record for the Cheshire based trainer with three wins from 18 efforts. Joe has had a sensational year so far in the saddle, and was only just pipped to the Flat Apprentice Jockeys' Championship title earlier this year, so hopefully he'll be able to continue that success over the winter months.
Ribbon Is A Dancer's Owners for the Day
As winners of the recent Owner for the Day competition, 10 lucky Coral Racing Club members have been given the chance to enjoy an exclusive owners experience for Ribbon Is A Dancer's run at Kempton this evening.
Each winner, along with a guest of their choosing, will receive free entry to Kempton Racecourse, including exclusive access to Owners & Trainers areas. They'll have the opportunity to meet Ribbon Is A Dancer and the Hugo Palmer team, plus get to head into the parade ring before the race begins to be amongst all the other owners, trainers and jockeys. And last but by no means least, each winner will get to take home an equal 10% split of any prize money won by Ribbon Is A Dancer.
Prize Money
Today's Class 4 contest is worth £9,900 in total, with the winner set to scoop £5,346 for their lucky owners.
2nd: £2,509 | 3rd: £1,255 | 4th: £627
KEMPTON 17:40 – LATEST ODDS
We hope you enjoyed reading today's Raceday LIVE Preview. Don't forget to tune in just before 17:40 to watch Ribbon Is A Dancer's second run for the club live on the Coral Sports app.
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