12-year-old switches to fences after hurdles four-timer and a Roscommon debutant to watch out of the legendary Solerina

Ayr: unusual veteran to focus on

Few horses are still racing on the Flat aged 11 but Hyperfocus is and he will line up for his 79th race in the 6f handicap (3.00).

The old timer may have finished last on his most recent start at Chester, but there is reason to keep the faith as he still showed plenty of pace and enthusiasm there.

He now drops into Class 4 company and is 7lb lower than his last winning mark, when scoring at Chester last July under Sean Kirrane, who is back aboard here, taking over from Duran Fentiman.

A regular in all of the major sprint handicaps a few years ago, Hyperfocus was once rated as high as 98.

Hyperfocus15:00 Ayr

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Jky: Sean Kirrane Tnr: Tim Easterby

Ayr stat: Karl Burke

The trainer bids to enhance his impressive strike-rate of 29 per cent with juveniles (23-78) this year and runs Half Sovereign in the 7f novice (1.30).

Ripon: Dothan out to deliver feature handicap for Bethell

Dothan's seventh-placed finish at York last month was the worst form figure of his six-race career but there is reason to believe he can bounce back in the feature 5f handicap (8.00).

Dothan was beaten only a length and a quarter by Luna A Inbhir Nis on the Knavesmire, and that rival went on to land a Haydock handicap in the same grade from a 1lb lower mark on Saturday.

Therefore, the form of Dothan's last run looks better than first appeared and trainer Ed Bethell has applied a tongue-tie to the son of Territories for the first time.

"He won well on his first start of the year at Doncaster and has possibly been a touch disappointing since," said Bethell. "Hamilton next time was a complicated track for a horse who doesn't have the best of actions."

Bethell has not had a winner at Ripon this season, but 31 of his 50 overall runners at the North Yorkshire track have made the frame with his 11 winners coming at 22 per cent strike-rate.

Dothan20:00 Ripon

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Jky: Callum Rodriguez Tnr: Edward Bethell

Ripon stat: James Owen

The Newmarket trainer has a 29 per cent strike-rate at the track (2-7) and saddles Colinski in the 1m4f handicap (8.30).

Colinski20:30 Ripon

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Jky: Hector Crouch Tnr: James Owen

Roscommon: can Butch win for racing royalty?

All eyes will be on Butch Coolidge when he makes his debut in the 2m4½f maiden hurdle (5.05).

The five-year-old son of Walk In The Park is out of the legendary mare Solerina, who won five Grade 1 races in a golden age also featuring the likes of Brave Inca, Harchibald and Macs Joy.

The 22-time winner went on to be successful in the breeding shed too, with four of her offspring winning at least three races. She died in 2021 and has a Grade 3 race at Fairyhouse named after her. This year it was won by subsequent Grade 1 scorer Aurora Vega.

Can Butch Coolidge do his bit for the family name?

Butch Coolidge17:05 Roscommon

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Jky: Alex Harvey Tnr: David Harry Kelly

Worcester: five-star special?

I'm A Starman has won his last four starts to rocket to a career-high mark of 117 – and all at the age of 12.

He bids to complete a course hat-trick in the 2m7f handicap chase (2.42), however, while he is at the top of his game, he has not run over fences since May 2023.

Whether he can carry his excellent form over hurdles back to the chasing sphere, in which he is winless from seven starts, is the big question mark.

Mark Rimell, who trains the family homebred, said: "I don't know how many 12-year-olds have won four on the bounce. It's been nice to see him repay back a bit of perseverance.

"There's been various members of my family who told me I was throwing good money after bad but I've always been tenaciously stupid and it seems to have paid off.

"We always thought he was a better hurdler than he was over fences but I've run out of hurdle races. He seems to like Worcester, so I thought it'd be mad not to give it a go. He's had a nice introduction with the mini-fences at Worcester in his last few runs there."