Chepstow, Saturday 11 April 2026 | Good To Soft

Chepstow, Saturday 11 April 2026 | Good To Soft

Aintree gets all the headlines today and rightly so, Grand National day is the pinnacle of the jumps calendar. But while the nation is glued to Merseyside, there is a quiet seven-race card at Chepstow worth picking through carefully. Good to soft ground suits a certain type at this Welsh track, and some of these handicap marks are generous enough to tempt. Here are the races that caught the eye.

12:35 — Tiptop Thunder Throne / EBF Junior National Hunt Hurdle

Let's get the obvious one out of the way. Planters Punch, trained by Nicky Henderson and sent off at 8/13 with Bet365, has won both his starts and the Seven Barrows yard has been ticking along at a healthy 2/11 strike rate over the past fortnight. Two from two for a yard that knows exactly what it is doing with promising juveniles. No case to answer here: back him and move on.

The only horse worth a second look at bigger odds is Guts And Glory, trained by Clive Boultbee-Brooks. She holds a Racing Post Rating of 110, which is comfortably the highest in the field apart from the favourite, and her form figures of F22 show she has been placed in her last two completed starts. Ned Fox claims 3lbs, which shaves the weight nicely. At 6/1 with Virgin Bet or LiveScore Bet, she is the obvious each-way alternative if you want a saver, and the 1/4 two places terms mean you collect with a runner-up spot. Worth a small interest alongside the favourite.

1:05 — Tiptop Duel Flush Mares' Novices' Hurdle

Molten Sea heads the market and is hard to oppose. Trained by Fergal O'Brien, who has been in fine form at 4/26 over the last two weeks, she has a Racing Post Rating of 123, which towers over the rest of this field. Her form reads 51, meaning she got a win on the board last time after a debut placing. Good to soft ground at Chepstow suits a mare of her profile. Best price is 11/4 with Bet365.

Dan Skelton's yard is absolutely flying at the moment, 10 winners from 45 runners in the last 14 days. Jollie Dame at 14/1 with Bet365 is the Skelton runner here and while her form reads 24333, she has been knocking on the door consistently. Her RPR of 103 is respectable for this class. Small each-way interest at the price in a nine-runner contest.

2:15 — Tiptop Clean Convenience Handicap Hurdle

This is the race of the day at Chepstow. Nine runners, plenty of pace angles, and a few horses with strong claims at prices worth having.

Cosmic Connection, trained by Chris Gordon who has been in cracking form at 4/18 over the last fortnight, is the one that jumps out. RPR of 129, a TS of 105, and form that reads P-7112. The key line there is the 112 at the end: he has won twice in his last three completed starts and his only blip was a seventh that looks like an off day. Bryan Carver takes the ride. Best price is 9/4 with Bet365 or William Hill. Good to soft should not inconvenience him.

Doctors Hill at 4/1 with Bet365 is the other serious player. Philip Hobbs and Johnson White have sent out 2 from 13 recently, which is steady rather than hot, but Doctors Hill holds an RPR of 130, the highest in the field on the figures. The concern is his recent form, 136266, which reads as a horse looking for a run back to form rather than one in the middle of a winning sequence. At 4/1 he is not without interest but the trajectory is the wrong direction.

Lacrima Each-Way at 9/1 with William Hill or Midnite is the each-way dark horse. Nick Scholfield's yard has hit 2/12 recently, which is acceptable, and Lacrima's form of 227111 is a hat-trick of wins. The hat-trick makes this horse a very live outsider on an upward curve. The handicapper may have caught up with him, but three on the bounce deserves respect at 9/1. Three places at 1/5 the odds makes the each-way case straightforward in a nine-runner field.

In The Air at 11/1 William Hill is another with a lively recent sequence, form reading 412121, showing he wins roughly every other time he lines up. Alastair Ralph's yard is 0/7 recently though, and that cold streak is a flag. Watch rather than back.

Today's NAP