Bangor-on-Dee Tips: Saturday 18 April 2026

Bangor-on-Dee Tips: Saturday 18 April 2026

A Saturday card at Bangor-on-Dee with good ground and three featured races worth your attention. The track suits honest, consistent jumpers and on good going the emphasis shifts to horses with decent technique and a turn of foot. Donald McCain is the dominant local handler and his yard is firing at 6/22 over the past fortnight, a stat worth keeping in mind across the card. While fight fans will have one eye on Callum Smith defending his home turf in Liverpool tonight, here are three races where the value is clear enough to back with confidence.

1:17 Broxton Gates Novices' Hurdle (2m½f, Good)

Selection: Senator (10/11, Coral/Ladbrokes)

Thirteen runners in a novice hurdle always spreads things out, but Jamie Snowden's four-year-old stands out from the crowd. Senator arrives on the back of a consistent sequence, RPR 118 and TS 112 mark him as the classiest horse in the field on a bare reading of the figures, and Gavin Sheehan is a jockey who knows how to ride a race rather than simply steering from A to B.

Snowden has been operating at 5/24 in the last 14 days, which is a yard in decent nick. At what amounts to evens, the price is tight, but in a 13-runner novice hurdle where the next best in the market are at 7/2, the gap in class between Senator and the rest is significant enough to justify the short price. Knock Off Soxs at 7/2 is the obvious danger, an RPR of 122 catches the eye, but the form is largely built around placing rather than winning and Woollacott has had a quiet recent spell. Senator wins this.

2:27 Bangor-On-Dee Novices' Hurdle (2m7f, Good)

Selection: Park Princess (10/11, Bet365/William Hill)

Five runners, but this is a more interesting puzzle than the prices suggest. Park Princess is odds-on at 10/11 and rightly so on RPR, posting 142 against Reckless Spending's 138. Anthony Honeyball's six-year-old mare comes in with a form line of 12171P, and that P needs context. A pulled-up run is never ideal, but the wins are there, the class is there, and she is clearly the most talented horse in the field.

The more interesting question is whether Reckless Spending at 6/4 can reverse the ratings difference. Nicky Henderson's yard is running at 6/28 over the past fortnight, which is not a yard in its best form, and Reckless Spending's recent string of 3-3-7-1-7 shows inconsistency. On a good surface over 2m7f, Park Princess has every right to be favourite. Back her at 10/11 for a confident win.

Pottersville at 10/1 is worth a small each-way shout if you want a saver. Rebecca Curtis has been running well at 3/9 recently and the RPR of 131 suggests a fit, capable mare. In a small field the each-way terms are limited to two places at 1/4 odds, so the case is slim, but at 10s she offers some interest for place purposes.

4:10 Broxton Gates Handicap Chase (2m4½f, Good)

Selection: Admiral Stewart Each-Way (3/1, Bet365)

Eight runners in a handicap chase and the market has been dominated by Duel Au Soleil at 9/4. That price deserves scrutiny before you follow it in. Ben Pauling's six-year-old is 0/20 in the past 14 days. That is a cold yard, and backing a horse on a form line of 221328 for a trainer who hasn't found the winner's enclosure in a fortnight is a risk the price doesn't justify.

Admiral Stewart at 3/1 with Bet365 is the cleaner play. Jamie Snowden sits at 5/24 recently, the same form that makes Senator worth backing in the first race, and Gavin Sheehan is aboard again. An RPR of 127 is competitive at this level, and while the recent string of -1P434 includes a couple of disappointing runs, a look at that solo win suggests a horse who finds his form when things fall right. Good ground suits most chasers at this track and at 3/1 there is proper each-way value with two places at 1/4 odds available.

Jorebel at 8/1 is the one who could spoil the party. Chris Gordon has had 3 winners from 15 runners in the past fortnight, a respectable hit rate, and Jorebel's form of 211545 shows a horse who has been winning races in this calendar year. If you want to cover yourself at a bigger price, Jorebel each-way at 8/1 is not silly money.

My Noble Lord at 9/2 might attract attention, but the Greenall/Guerriero yard is running at just 1/18 recently. Cold form from the stable cancels out much of the appeal, even with an RPR of 122.

Today's NAP