Bath, Saturday 13 June 2026: Tips & Selections

Bath, Saturday 13 June 2026: Tips & Selections

Bath stages eight races on a sunny Saturday with the ground riding Good to Soft throughout. The undulations and cambered bends here suit handy, well-balanced types rather than flat-track bullies, and the going will be on the slower side of those conditions after recent rainfall. Three races stand out for punters, and there is a genuine value angle in each of them. Elsewhere on the sporting calendar, the Spanish Grand Prix fires up tomorrow at Barcelona, but today the focus is firmly on the Avon.

1:55 Designer Outlet Style Fillies’ Novice Stakes (5f, Good To Soft)

Selection: Naval Cop at 2/1 (all major firms)

With Castlerock Girl a non-runner, this has simplified considerably, and Andrew Balding’s Naval Cop now stands out as a clear alternative to the odds-on favourite. Balding’s record at Bath is solid at 15% winners from nearly 500 runners, and the yard has been firing lately with 11 winners from 60 runners in the past fortnight. That is a hot streak by any measure. Naval Cop is an unraced juvenile stepping into a weakened field, and Balding routinely debuts well-prepared youngsters at tracks like Bath where the smaller fields suit inexperienced horses.

Havana Sprite holds the form figures and is rightly favourite at 8/15, but odds-on about a two-year-old filly in a six-runner novice on her third start is a swing-and-hope price. The fourth on debut and runner-up next time tells a tidy story, but Tate’s A/E of 0.72 at Bath suggests the yard slightly underperforms at this track relative to market expectation. Balding’s horses, by contrast, tend to show up at full readiness. Naval Cop at 2/1 is the value call in what is essentially a two-horse race.

5:02 freebets.com Handicap Division I (1m, Good To Soft, 11 runners)

Selection: Naval Ensign Each-Way at 16/1 (Boyle Sports, LiveScore Bet)

Thapa Vc is the jolly at 7/4 and Mark Rimell does post a 15% strike rate at Bath with an A/E above 1.0, so the favourite has legitimate claims. But 7/4 in an 11-runner handicap on a competitive Saturday card is not a price for this column.

The angle here is Ben Ffrench Davis aboard Naval Ensign. That 20% Bath strike rate from 10 rides sounds modest in volume terms, but an A/E of 3.99 is extraordinary. It essentially means he performs four times better at this track than market prices would suggest. At 16/1, Naval Ensign is priced as an outsider with little chance. The mare showed a win and a fifth from her last five starts, including a creditable effort over a mile last time at a similar level. Good to Soft suits her profile and a mile at Bath, with its long run-in, rewards those that settle and travel well. Three places are on offer in this field, making the each-way case almost automatic at this price.

5:37 freebets.com Handicap Division II (1m, Good To Soft, 10 runners)

Selection: Danehill Star Each-Way at 3/1 (Boyle Sports, best price)

Tony Carroll has been in red-hot form over the past fortnight, sending out eight winners from 56 runners. That kind of trainer momentum matters in handicap company, and Carroll is no stranger to placing horses accurately at this level. Jack Callan takes the ride, a combination Carroll trusts on this grade of race.

Danehill Star’s recent form reads 152214, which speaks for itself. Two wins, two seconds and a fourth in the last six starts is the profile of a horse operating at the right level under the right management. The slight concern is whether Good to Soft pulls at him compared to faster ground, but the form has been consistent enough to suggest he handles varied conditions. At 3/1 in a division with several exposed plodders and a handful of trainers completely out of form, this is the sharpest price on the card. Each-way protection makes sense in a 10-runner handicap at this trip.

Today’s NAP

Danehill Star — freebets.com Handicap Division II (5:37, Bath)
Odds: 3/1 — Boyle Sports (others: 7/2 Betfred, 10/3 LiveScore Bet)

Tony Carroll’s yard has hit the ground running this month with eight winners in a fortnight, and Danehill Star arrives here with six recent runs showing two wins and two seconds. Jack Callan’s booking confirms stable confidence. In a division populated by out-of-form runners and trainers going through cold spells, this is the standout horse at a workable price. Back each-way for security.

Each-Way Recommended 3 places at 1/5 odds