Beverley, Wednesday 15 April 2026: Tips and Best Bets
A compact but punchy card at Beverley on good ground, with three races worth dissecting in detail. The going suits horses that travel through a race rather than grind, so front-runners and prominent racers have an edge today. Let's get into it.
1:40 โ Easter Maiden Fillies' Stakes (1mยฝf)
On paper this is a two-horse race, and the market reflects that. Celestra (10/11, Bet365) heads the market for John and Thady Gosden, with Daniel Tudhope booked. Two runner-up finishes from two starts hints at a filly who knows her job but hasn't quite found that extra gear yet. The Gosden yard is in decent nick with three winners from twelve runners over the last fortnight, and Tudhope is a top-drawer jockey at this level. The concern is that the market is pricing her as a near-certainty and two seconds doesn't scream "banker."
The play here is Thankfully (11/8, Bet365) for Karl Burke, who has been firing well with five winners from 38 runners in the last 14 days. The form on her debut at Sandown is rock-solid: third of seven with a subsequent Prix Marcel Boussac fourth only narrowly ahead of her. She was sent off at 4/5 for a Newbury novice next time, faded into fifth, but soft ground looked a likely culprit. Good ground at Beverley today is a different matter entirely, and Burke clearly hasn't lost faith given this reappearance assignment. At 11/8 she looks overpriced relative to Celestra given the quality of that debut form.
Selection: Thankfully, 11/8 (Bet365)
3:25 โ Beverley Beaker Handicap (5f)
Ten runners over five furlongs at Beverley in a handicap where the form of several horses sets up for a genuinely competitive contest. This is the race of the day from a betting perspective.
Corolla Point is the jolly at 6/4, and you can see why. Ed Bethell's yard is absolutely flying at the moment, six winners from just 17 runners in the last 14 days, an extraordinary strike rate. The horse was purchased for 60,000gns from Charlie Appleby, won twice in the autumn at Haydock and Hamilton, and has had only five career starts. The upside is obvious. At 6/4 though, with only a handful of runs to assess, that price is already very skinny for a handicap opener.
The value selection is Sports Coach Each-Way (7/1, Bet365) for Antony Brittain, ridden by Cam Hardie. He's come into the season with two sharp runs at Southwell, winning one and finishing fifth in a competitive Newcastle sprint three weeks ago. Crucially, he has a fitness edge over several in this field who are making seasonal reappearances. He was placed at Redcar on turf last summer, so the switch to grass shouldn't inconvenience him, and good ground at Beverley should suit a horse who clearly travels well. At 7/1 with the ability to give him a place chance too, this is the each-way bet of the race.
Keep an eye on Smart Vision (15/2, Bet365) as well. He was actually fourth in this exact race on his 2025 reappearance, won twice last autumn on varying ground, and draws from a handy position. He's a solid each-way alternative if the market firms up Sports Coach before the off.
Selection: Sports Coach, 7/1 each-way (Bet365)
4:00 โ 140th Year Of The Watt Memorial Handicap (2m)
Five runners over two miles and the form angle here points firmly in one direction. Sax Appeal (10/3, Bet365) for Charlie Johnston has won four times in the second half of last year and, most tellingly, has a course and distance win over Charging Thunder already on his record at this very venue in good ground. He then took on Charging Thunder again at Newcastle on Good Friday in what was described as a strong race and still finished in front of his old rival. Back on turf, back at a track he clearly loves, and returning to calmer waters after that Newcastle Grade A performance, a bold show is the most likely outcome.
Johnston's yard has four winners from 38 runners in the last fortnight, not a barn-on-fire stat, but Callum Shepherd is a capable jockey and the horse's form rather than the stable stats is what sells this selection. At 10/3 he's a fair price in a five-runner field where the favourite Anniversary (4/5) has only seven career runs and can race freely, which over two miles at Beverley is a genuine concern.
Avoid Wahraan at 28/1 despite the big-race profile in his past. Finishing last of six at Southwell last month suggests the ability of his peak years is well behind him now.
Selection: Sax Appeal, 10/3 (Bet365)
Today's NAP
Odds: 11/8 โ Bet365 (others: 11/8 Midnite, 2.78 Betfair Exchange)
Good ground at Beverley unlocks the potential of this Karl Burke filly, who ran to a very high level on debut at Sandown when only a nose separated her from a horse that subsequently finished fourth in the Prix Marcel Boussac. The market punished her after a soft-ground fade at Newbury but the conditions today are entirely different, Burke has been among the winners recently, and 11/8 represents genuine value against a market rival whose form amounts to two placed efforts.