Cork, Friday 24 April 2026: Tips and Selections

Cork, Friday 24 April 2026: Tips and Selections

Cork stages a seven-race card on yielding ground today, and there are three races worth dissecting in detail. The ground should suit horses with a bit of class and the ability to handle cut, and Joseph Patrick O'Brien's yard is the dominant force across the card with multiple runners. Do not blindly follow the Ballydoyle-affiliated strings, though. The value often hides in the places where the market is less aggressive.

7:45 — Sign Up To Our Newsletter Handicap (1m2½f, 17 runners)

Seventeen runners over a mile and two and a half furlongs on yielding ground. This is a wide-open handicap and the each-way market is where you want to be, with five places on offer at 1/5 odds.

Apercu (W J Lee, 13/2 Bet365) is the angle. She has won five times over this exact trip, including this very race last year off a mark of 88. She then ran in stakes company where she was found out, but returning to handicap company at Cork over 1m2½f is her comfort zone. Trainer A Oliver has gone 0/5 in the last 14 days, which keeps the market honest, but the horse's course-and-distance record is the overriding factor here. The yielding ground is no concern for a mare who has handled soft previously. At 13/2, she is the one to side with.

Iron Fist Each-Way (Shane Foley, 11/1 Bet365) catches the eye as the each-way dart. Two soft-ground wins last year, including a 9.5f handicap at Clonmel, show he handles give underfoot. His recent Curragh return over a mile was clearly too sharp, and he is stepping back to a more suitable trip here. Jessie Harrington's yard has gone 3/20 in the last 14 days, which is ticking over, and Foley is a booking worth noting in handicaps. Eleven to one for a horse dropping back to a trip where he has genuine form on similar ground is worth a modest each-way interest.

Defiantly (Declan McDonogh, 9/1 Bet365) also warrants respect on the opening line. A lightly raced four-year-old with listed form, making a seasonal return into handicap company, is the type the market can underestimate. Joseph Patrick O'Brien has gone 10/52 in the last 14 days, a strong enough strike rate to trust the yard when they saddle a fancied runner. At 9/1 he is not overpriced but Apercu is the cleaner selection.

5:40 — Irish Stallion Farms EBF Median Auction Race (1m, 9 runners)

The market has made its feelings clear here, and for once the market is right.

The Publican's Son (J M Sheridan, 10/11 Bet365) is a clear class apart in this field based on his juvenile form. His second in a Curragh Group 3 as the sole newcomer in the field was a remarkable effort, and while the Middle Park exposed him slightly, his most recent fifth in a Leopardstown Group 3 showed he is getting back to himself. The step up to a mile suits his pedigree, and Joseph Patrick O'Brien has him primed. Odds-on prices are not for everyone, but in a nine-runner Median Auction race against horses with RPRs in the low-to-mid 80s, this is one of those rare occasions where the favourite genuinely deserves to be that short.

Brownstown (Gary Carroll, 10/1 Bet365) is worth noting in the place market. Gavin Cromwell's filly has an RPR of 97, which towers over most of this field, and she won her track debut at Leopardstown on soft. She has been in better company since, which explains some of the defeats. Fresh off a break, back against softer rivals on yielding ground, she can pick up a cheque. Cromwell has gone 6/36 in the last 14 days, a yard firing at a healthy clip.

7:15 — Dine In Our Panoramic Restaurant Race (1m2½f, 4 runners)

Four runners and a fascinating race to unpick. Port Ferdinand is the 6/5 market leader and the pedigree is undeniable, but there is a horse in this field offering better value at a more appealing price.

Limestone (J M Sheridan, 11/4 Bet365) is the call. This three-year-old progressed through each of his juvenile starts, and when he eventually got his conditions right at Listowel in September, he made all on heavy ground over a mile to win a rated race convincingly. A tongue-tie goes on for the seasonal return, and critically, he has a Derby entry, which tells you everything about how O'Brien views his ceiling. The step up to 1m2½f is a natural progression for a horse this trainer expects to handle middle-distances. At 11/4, he is a better price than the favourite with a compelling form angle.

Mr Vettori (Shane Foley, 4/1 Bet365) is not without claims. His win at Gowran in testing conditions was gutsy, outstaying a long-time leader, and his second behind the highly-regarded Hawk Mountain in a Curragh maiden reads well. The tendency to hang right is a slight concern at Cork but Foley is experienced enough to manage it. He is a genuine each-way alternative at the price.

Port Ferdinand at 6/5 is not a price that offers any value when you are looking at a horse with a single run to his name in a 7f Naas maiden and a jockey report of hanging badly. The potential is obvious but 6/5 to beat three horses who have proven form at the trip is too short.

Today's NAP