Aintree, Friday 15 May 2026 – Full Card Tips

Aintree, Friday 15 May 2026 – Full Card Tips

A decent eight-race evening card at Aintree on good ground, which should suit the handy, athletic types rather than the heavy-ground plodders. Nicky Richards has his yard absolutely motoring at 4/7 in the last 14 days, and Olly Murphy saddles runners across multiple races with a solid 6/23 strike rate to back him up. Watch those two yards closely throughout the card. Elsewhere, Jamie Snowden (5/15) and James Owen (13/55) both bring in-form stables, and those trainer flags matter when the margins between runners are tight.

4:35 – Inkerman London Novices’ Hurdle (GBB Race)

Selection: Maskarvel (2/1, Boyle Sports / Betfred)

Road To Wembley is the short-price favourite and Sean Bowen does not get on false ones, but 4/5 for a horse with limited form reading 21- asks you to take a very skinny price about an unknown quantity. The value sits with Maskarvel at 2/1 under Jonathan Burke. Alastair Ralph’s yard is ticking along at 2/9 in the last fortnight, and Maskarvel brings a more exposed form profile with an RPR of 122. The consistent figures of 24252 show a horse that runs his race every time and does not let you down. On good ground at Aintree over 2m1f, a horse that handles the track and hits the line reliably is exactly what you want. Into Battle at 11/2 is an interesting each-way outsider given that 0- at the end of his form might be hiding something, but the Ralph horse is the call at a fair price.

5:10 – Ha Civils Franny Blennerhassett Memorial Mares’ Handicap Hurdle

Selection: Mermaids Cave (10/3, Boyle Sports / Betfred)

James Owen’s yard is firing on all cylinders right now, 13/55 in the last 14 days is a serious strike rate for a handicap handler. Mermaids Cave carries that form flag plus a top-speed figure of 120, the highest TS in this field. Her last start reads 82P5-1, and that winning return matters. Jonathan Burke takes the ride, the same combination that Owen’s yard tends to deploy when they fancy one. The going is good, and her best form has come on a sound surface. Atlantic City looks dangerous, the Olly Murphy runner who won a C&D handicap three weeks ago from 5lb lower, but she is now 5lb higher and the market has already priced that form in at 3/1. Mermaids Cave at 10/3 has a slightly better RPR (121) and that explosive speed figure, and Owen targeting this race with a horse already in winning form makes this the smarter bet.

5:45 – #hameansmore Handicap Chase (GBB Race)

Selection: Parisencore Each-Way (11/2, Boyle Sports / Betfred)

Nicky Richards has been outstanding in the last two weeks, 4/7, and that is the number that jumps off the page in this nine-runner handicap chase. Parisencore runs for Richards under Danny McMenamin, and the form 4/441- shows a horse that has been creeping closer before finishing with a win last time. His RPR of 136 is competitive at the top of this field. Good ground over 2m4f at Aintree suits the profile, and McMenamin knows the horse well. My Noble Lord is the co-favourite at 7/2 with Greenall and Guerriero in fair form (1/4), and Breizh River at 9/2 for Tristan Davidson (2/10) merits respect, but Richards in this kind of form with a horse that just won is the angle worth backing. Each-way makes sense in a nine-runner with 3 places on offer.

6:20 – Hatfields Jaguar Land Rover Handicap Hurdle

Selection: Smokeringinthedark (4/1, Boyle Sports / Betfred)

Back to Nicky Richards and the yard continues to warrant following. Smokeringinthedark brings a form line of 72512, which reads as a horse gradually getting his head in front again. His TS of 118 is solid and the RPR of 139 marks him as a horse operating at a high level. Danny McMenamin continues the partnership, which has clearly been working. At 4/1 in an 11-runner hurdle, this is a fair price. Ike Sport is the market leader at 7/2 and the RPR profile is strong at 143, but Neil Mulholland has managed just 1/16 in the last fortnight, which should make you hesitate. Fingal’s Hill at 6/1 under Callum Bewley also has claims with a recent 2 on his card, but the Richards factor edges the argument toward Smokeringinthedark.

6:55 – Huyton Asphalt Franny Blennerhassett Memorial Handicap Chase (GBB Race)

Selection: Bumpy Evans (5/1, Boyle Sports / Betfred)

Calimystic is 2/1 for Nicky Henderson with Nico de Boinville booked, and the form 1P/11- is compelling on paper. But 2/1 for a horse with an R in his most recent form and an interrupted profile over 3m1f at Aintree is a price that demands a lot go right. Bumpy Evans at 5/1 brings the highest RPR in the race (138) and a recent form line of F123-R. The F and the R are not ideal, but the 1, 2, and 3 in between tell you this is a horse capable of landing at this level. Conor O’Farrell takes the ride, and good ground should suit. Regarde for Jamie Snowden (5/15) at 10/1 each-way deserves a mention if you want a longer-priced alternative, the trainer is in excellent form and a 2/352 profile suggests he is not disgraced at this level. But Bumpy Evans at 5/1 is the main bet, a horse with a genuine winning profile who has the best RPR in the field.

7:30 – Mental Health Awareness Week Handicap Hurdle (Div I)

Selection: Spartan Times (4/1, Boyle Sports / Betfred)

Jennie Candlish has been busy and productive at 4/22 in the last 14 days, and Spartan Times is the one to take from this yard. The form 517-1 ends with a win, and this five-year-old has the highest TS in the division at 107 matched with an RPR of 117, the best in the field. William Shanahan claims 5lb, which drops the burden further. Jamada is the 11/4 favourite for Olly Murphy and Sean Bowen, and you cannot dismiss that combination, but 11/4 is skinny in an 11-runner handicap. Spartan Times at 4/1 offers better value with a higher ceiling on the ratings, a winning reappearance, and a trainer in form. The going suits, and this looks a competitive price.

8:05 – Mental Health Awareness Week Handicap Hurdle (Div II)

Selection: Guet Apens (11/8, Boyle Sports)

Greenall and Guerriero have been ticking along at 1/4 in the last fortnight, and Guet Apens under Jack Tudor is the standout on pure form in this division. A form line of 312- shows a horse that has placed or won in all three hurdle starts, and the RPR of 112 is right at the top of this field. Yes, 11/8 is short, but this is a 10-runner handicap where the form of the favourite genuinely stacks up. Maple at 7/1 each-way is the alternative if you want a longer price, having won on his fourth hurdle start and now returning off a break. But on the figures available, Guet Apens is the most consistent horse in the race and the right horse to side with.

Today’s NAP