Sheffield's 13:33 handicap over 500m throws up the best-rated runner on the whole card in Slippy Richie, trained by M A P O'Donnell and drawn in trap 6. The composite score of 76 is a big number, and it is backed up by a run of form that reads like a dog closing in on a win rather than just making up the numbers. His last six starts show a first, two seconds, a third, another first and another third, all bar one of them at A3 or better, and all of them at his home track over this trip. That kind of consistency at a single venue and distance is exactly what the ratings look for, because it strips out the guesswork of how a dog might handle a new track or a different journey.
What stands out is that none of those runs came in a race he dominated by a distance. He is winning and placing off tight margins, which suggests a dog who is competitive rather than one flattered by weak opposition. Trap 6 at Sheffield is not the type of draw that guarantees an easy run to the bend, but a dog with this level of course form has usually worked out how to cope.
The opposition today is led by Shelone Sky in trap 5 on a composite score of 60, some way back, with Ballymac Price and Signature Lee further off the pace still. On the numbers this looks like Slippy Richie's race to lose, and with home-track and home-trip form as strong as this, he is the clear headline act on the card.