With Jimmy on duty at Nottingham, it was Jack Garrity who did the steering aboard Explain at Ripon.  Unlucky over 7f on his previous outing he showed a good attitude to dig deep and get on top near the line.

“This was weakened by several withdrawals but it still looked competitive and the winner finished well to deny the favourite.  EXPLAIN, fourth off 1lb higher behind Straightothepoint in this race last year, had not really fired in two runs this season but he rediscovered his spark dropped back to 6f and finished fast out wide to reel in the leader. His record suggests he is not certain to back this up but he recorded a peak RPR of 89 last season and will remain feasibly treated after a move back up the weights.”

Racing Post, 2017