LAST week was all about Glorious Goodwood and the northern trainers performed exceptionally well with four individual handlers getting on the scoresheet and one dominating the meeting.

Mark Johnston was leading trainer again over the five days with five winners. He has been top of the tree at the meeting seven times in the last 12 years. The Middleham handler kicked off the meeting in the best possible way with Drumfire who ran out an easy winner, and wins with Lowdown, Roman Republic, Laa Rayb and Eastern Aria giving the Kingsley House a week to remember.

Thirsk handler Dandy Nicholls also likes to target this meeting and after being touched off with Even And Odds, who ran a gallant race to finish second in the Stewards’ Cup, it looked like he was going to travel back empty handed. His luck turned, however, and he hit back to win the final two races with Bluie and Bencoolen.

Bluie was successful in the six furlong nursery defying stablemate Layla’s Hero, in doing so Nicholls was winning the race for the third year in a row.

Rarely does a season go by without Bryan Smart landing a decent prize, and on Friday, Summer Fete swooped late to land the Group 3 Oak Tree Stakes under Richard Mullen and afterwards Mullen said: “The ground is key and it’s nice she has won a race like this as we’ve always thought a bit of her.”

Earlier in the day Johannes had landed the Stewards’ Cup consolation race for Richard Fahey and jockey Tony Hamilton.

Today is very much the calm after the storm, but there is still an interesting seven race card at Ripon starting at 2.15pm.

In the penultimate race Middleham trainer James Bethell has a live chance with Fossgate who showed he was coming back to form when third at Beverley last Tuesday. He is well handicapped on his old form and has got blinkers on for the first time at a track where he has been successful twice in the past.

Many of the trainers and jockeys will be travelling across the A66 after Ripon to Carlisle’s evening fixture.

Michael Dods’s and Philip Makin – who landed a double at Hamilton on Saturday evening – have a great chance of doubling up again with Just Five (6.15) and Legal Legacy (7.15).