Catterick, Monday 22 June 2026: Tips and Best Bets

Catterick, Monday 22 June 2026: Tips and Best Bets

A six-race card at Catterick on good to firm ground, mostly cloudy overhead. Catterick’s sharp, turning track plays to handy, front-running types, and the going suits horses that travel well through a race rather than grinders. Three races stand out for punting purposes today. The yard stats are telling a clear story: Adrian Paul Keatley is operating at 20% here with an A/E of 1.34, and Adrian Nicholls has been on fire with a 3/9 (33%) strike rate over the last fortnight. Those are the stables to follow this afternoon.

2:30 — British EBF Maiden Fillies’ Stakes (5f, Good To Firm)

Selection: Roots In Touche (Evens, Boyle Sports)

Trained by Adrian Paul Keatley, who is one of the sharpest operators at this track (20% strike rate, A/E 1.34), Roots In Touche ran a highly encouraging debut at Beverley, beaten only a length and a quarter in second. She showed good early zip that day, handled the pace, and that experience over a similar trip on similar ground should see her come forward significantly. Keatley is in strong recent form (4/16 last 14 days), and this yard tends to improve juveniles quickly between runs.

The main danger is Minzelle (11/8), who went too hard at Haydock but has a solid speed pedigree and Clifford Lee in the saddle. Lee’s 22% course record here is one of the best of any rider in the data. If Minzelle relaxes, she is dangerous. However, Keatley’s track record and the form profile of Roots In Touche make her the value call at the even money currently on offer. Back her to win.

3:00 — “Confined” Handicap (5f, Good To Firm)

Selection: Tees Aggregates Each-Way (10/3, Boyle Sports)

The Adrian Nicholls yard has been operating at 33% over the last fortnight, which is a number you cannot ignore in a seven-runner sprint handicap. Tees Aggregates is consistent at five furlongs on exactly this type of ground, racing from a mark just 1lb above his last winning mark. Jack Nicholls takes the ride, and his Catterick record deserves serious attention: 27% winners from 11 rides here with an A/E of 1.64. That is a jockey who clearly knows this track intimately.

The horse has been placed multiple times at this level without converting, but the combination of a firing trainer, a course-specialist jockey, and a mark that sits right in his wheelhouse makes this an excellent each-way proposition. Albegone (11/4) catches the eye with first-time blinkers for Tim Easterby, another top Catterick handler, so do not dismiss him at a slightly shorter price. But the Nicholls angle is too strong to ignore at 10/3.

4:00 — EBF Fillies’ Handicap (7f, Good To Firm)

Selection: Velvet Rhythm (10/3, Boyle Sports)

Velvet Rhythm won twice in recent starts, including over course and distance at Catterick, proving she handles this track and trip perfectly. Her latest effort, where she was pushed to the front too soon and weakened late, can be readily forgiven. She returns at the same mark, and Charlie Johnston’s yard has been ticking over at 15% here. If Rowan Scott rides a more patient race from the front, the course-and-distance form puts her very much in command of this field.

Homestrait (5/2) is the biggest danger with back-to-back placed efforts and first-time cheekpieces added, but she has not won yet and is asking punters to pay a shorter price for a horse that keeps finding one. Diamont Katie (3/1) also has claims after a run that was arguably badly managed tactically, and Jack Nicholls (five-pound claimer, 27% course record) keeps the ride. At 10/3, Velvet Rhythm is the value of the race: proven over the course and distance, dropping back to a mark she has won from, and with an obvious explanation for the last defeat.

Today’s NAP

Tees Aggregates — “Confined” Handicap (3:00, Catterick)
Odds: 10/3 — Boyle Sports (others: 10/3 Betfred, 3/1 LiveScore Bet)

The combination of a trainer running at 33% in the last fortnight and Jack Nicholls carrying a 27% course strike rate (A/E 1.64) is as strong a situational angle as you will find on any Monday card. Tees Aggregates is consistent at five furlongs on good to firm, races from a mark just 1lb above his last winning weight, and faces a small field where there is no dominant form rival. At 10/3 in a race where the connections are clearly set up for a big performance, this is the play of the day.

Each-Way Recommended — 2 places at 1/4 odds