SOPHIE DOYLE'S riding prowess will be put to the test when she climbs aboard Rudry Dragon (3.15) for Ripon's mile-and-a-quarter Wensleydale Handicap.

Having won first time up this season by beating off a quality field at Windsor, Paul Blockley's three-year-old has since drawn a blank, despite being given another six bites of the cherry.

Simon Whitworth, Fergus Sweeney, and Kevin Ghunowa, have all had a crack and failed, but Sophie is great value for her 7lbs allowance and might be able to breath extra fire into Rudry Dragon.

Sophie's brother, James, could help top up the family's coffers by giving his rivals the slip on Tom Paris (4.55) in the closing Coverdale Handicap.

Seeing as he's only run three times so far this term, Tom Paris hasn't got many miles in his legs and there was also plenty to like about his latest staying-on fourth at Bath.

With a string of coconuts against his name, it takes a pretty big leap of faith to believe Coleorton Dancer (3.50) can snap up the feature event on the card, the Cathedral City of the Dales Handicap.

A previous course-and-distance winner in 2005, Kevin Ryan's speedster was effectively chinned by the handicapper for the consistency he showed during his three and four-year-old campaigns.

It has been a while, however finally the BHB have cut Coleorton Dancer some desperately-required slack, dropping the gelding from a lifetime high of 102, down to this afternoon's rating of 86.

Throw into the melting pot a 96-day refresher, plus the resurgent nature of Ryan's stable, and there's a plausible argument to take a calculated risk on the seemingly out-of-sorts sprinter.