Bath, Friday 22 May 2026: Tips and Analysis

Bath, Friday 22 May 2026: Tips and Analysis

Good ground at Bath on a partly cloudy afternoon sets up a fair surface for all three featured races on the card. The course rewards those that can travel smoothly up the long straight and the going should play to form-fit horses rather than those relying on cut. Three races stand out as serious tipping opportunities, and there is a clear NAP among them.

2:43 — MJ Church Fillies’ Restricted Novice Stakes (1m2f, Good)

Selection: Madrisa (11/8, Boyle Sports) — Hollie Doyle / William Haggas

This is a straightforward form case, but one worth backing at a price that should be shorter. Madrisa made her debut at Lingfield over this exact trip at the end of April, went off at 10/1 in a 12-runner maiden, and won it doing more than the bare result suggests. She was always travelling, hit the front in the final strides in that stout manner you want to see from a middle-distance filly with a future, and the Haggas yard is firing at 11 winners from 50 runners in the last fortnight.

The pedigree is pointing squarely at this kind of test. She is by Decorated Knight and is a half-sister through her dam to Extra Elusive, a dual 1m2f Group 3 winner, and to Ajaya, who won the Group 2 Gimcrack for the same stable. The step up to good turf from an AW maiden win should suit rather than hinder. Hollie Doyle takes over and has the experience to dictate if she wants to.

The main danger is Supplicate for Roger Varian, who justified favouritism at Lingfield in December over a mile, but that form is a rung below what Madrisa achieved last month. Eloquencia at 11/4 is honest without being exciting. At 11/8, Madrisa is a confident pick to prove her Lingfield win was no fluke.

3:18 — British EBF Novice Stakes (5f, Good)

Selection: Jaan Ki Tukri (8/11, Boyle Sports) — Rossa Ryan / Clive Cox

Five runners in a 2yo novice, and one of them stands out clearly. Jaan Ki Tukri has two runs on the board and both have been competitive. Third at Newbury over 5f on good ground, then second of seven at Newmarket over the same trip on good to firm. She has raced from the front on both occasions and the Clive Cox operation is in good form at 5 winners from 23 runners over the last 14 days.

The key factor here is the going. Five furlongs on good ground at Bath is a fair test of a sharp 2yo, and this filly has already shown she handles those conditions. The Newmarket runner-up effort in particular sets a standard that none of the others here can match on published form. Rossa Ryan is a strong booking and should have her travelling cleanly.

Flight Signal at evens is an interesting debutant from the Archie Watson yard, a £180,000 breeze-up purchase with obvious speed breeding, and that makes this a genuine two-horse race. Between an unknown debutant and a twice-raced filly who has finished placed at two top-class venues, the race experience edge goes to Jaan Ki Tukri. Take the 8/11 with confidence.

3:53 — Prix De Charlotte Fillies’ Handicap (5½f, Good)

Selection: Silver Wraith (5/4, Boyle Sports) — David Probert / Emma Lavelle

Course specialists in small-field handicaps are one of the cleanest betting angles in racing, and Silver Wraith fits the profile perfectly here. Two runs at Bath, two wins. She won here on good to soft as a 3yo and then came back this season to take the same course and distance on firm ground last month. A versatile performer who handles the varying conditions at this track is exactly what you want when backing short prices.

The handicapper has raised her just 2lb for that win, which looks lenient given the authority of the victory. Emma Lavelle has the yard in decent order at 2 winners from just 9 runners in the last fortnight, a healthy strike rate that suggests the horses are well. David Probert rides, knows the track, and should have her settled off the pace before asking the question in the straight.

Moe’s Legacy is the main threat at 5/1. She is a triple course winner herself and has gone close here in her last two runs, so she will not be far away. Toolatetonegotiate at 10/3 has been knocking on the door here in both recent starts. But Silver Wraith’s record at this venue is the standout angle on the card, and the 5/4 is workable for a win bet on a filly that clearly loves this place.

Today’s NAP