THIS afternoon is the relative calm before the storm of the York Ebor meeting from Wednesday to Saturday with a major handicap sprint at Ripon on their big day of the year alongside the Group Two Hungerford Stakes at Newbury.

I am not so sure that the William Hill/MND Association Great St Wilfrid Handicap is as high up on the glamour list of sprint handicaps during the height of the summer season especially as it follows on closely from the Stewards Cup at Goodwood and a couple of big speed handicap races at York next week. However, a £100,000 purse is not to be sneezed at and with no less than five course and distance winners in a field of 15, several of the entries looks sure to have laid out for this year’s renewal.

Top of the shop for many will be the Savills Handicap runner-up Fast Track Harry, a run which followed up his promising mid division 11th in the Wokingham Handicap when he was only beaten five lengths. The handicapper has surprisingly left him in a mark of 95 for this and drawn in box number eight, Jack Nicholls will have the choice of going near or far side early on.

I make the four-year-old a big player alongside the recent course and distance winner Lord Roxby who saw off another of today’s runners Dark Moon Rising to the tune of a length and three quarters earlier on in the month. The second is fully 8lbs better off here when arguably Danny Tudhope when for home a shade early, but his conqueror is in the form of his life this season and may well confirm that form.

That trio could be the biggest players against my value selection for this contest in the form of the top weight ARAMRAM (3.25) who takes a massive drop in class after finishing well down the field in the Group One Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes at Ascot. Despite set to run off a mark of 109 here, I fancy a repeat of his three parts of a length second to Run To Freedom in the Abernant Stakes at Newmarket could well be good enough to land this historic prize under Joe Leavy for Richard Hannon.

The William Hill Supporting MND Silver Cup Handicap serves as a consolation event for the Great St Wilfrid and looks even more open with20 set to go post and so the pace bias if there is one could prove significant.

Woodstock has been one of the most annoying horses in training at around class four level as he looks as though he is doing everything so easily on the bridle, but when let down finds precious little. So it could well be that this drop down in trip to six furlongs for the first time in in nearly a year could well suit his style of racing.

He could well play a leading role here, but because the handicapper has been reluctant to drop his mark I suspect that he will find a few of these much better treated inside the final rush from home. Chief amongst them could well be the filly Anaisa who found Listed and Group Three level too hot to handle as a juvenile and has just about found her level in her second season and off a career low mark of 78 the daughter of Ardad wouldn’t be the biggest shock winner.

However, I just prefer the claims of MISTER SOX (2.55) at a much bigger price. The six-year-old actually ran in the feature race on this card last season when he finished strongly to be beaten a never nearer three and a quarter lengths fifth of 17 behind Intervention off a mark of 80. Without a win in 15 subsequent outings, the selection was unlucky at York on July 11 when he ran into all kinds of trouble following a length second behind Indian Run at Thirsk. His last two runs have been moderate, but I am hoping that the return to Ripon will spark a revival off a mark of just 72.

I will also be having an each-way play on EMPEROR CARADOC who has put together a run of three good performances, twice at Nottingham and once at Pontefract last time out. The Paul Midgley trained runner bounces off the prevailing fast ground and is worth a saver at around the 16/1 mark.

Of the other races on the card at the North Yorkshire course I also like the look of ANDESITE (3.55) in the one-mile handicap after he showed a bit more sparkle last time out at Thirsk. The Roger Fell runner deserves to pick up another race following form figures in similar contest of 32205 which means that the handicapper has found it hard to drop him in the weights.

The feature Hungerford Stakes at Newbury (3.10) should see Never So Brave go off favourite for Andrew Balding and there was plenty to like about his five and three quarter lengths sixth of 12 to Bow Echo in the Group One Sussex Stakes at Goodwood at the back end of last month when he looked to be coming to hand. This is much easier, but he is priced accordingly in the marketplace and I would much rather have a play on WITNESS STAND who made much of the running at the same meeting when a close up third behind Lake Forest in the Lennox Stakes.

The well touted MOSHEER (3.42) has a big chance in the big novice event while the best bets elsewhere could well come in the form of REEM RAK (Newmarket, 2.43) in the staying fillies’ handicap, while at Doncaster have a second look at NYMAN (3.37). The last named showed that his turn was close at hand when staying on in eye catching fashion behind Welbury at Redcar over a mile last Saturday and is now fully 6lbs below his last winning mark.