Dundalk (AW) — Wednesday 1st April 2026

Dundalk (AW) — Wednesday 1st April 2026

A seven-race card under the lights at Dundalk on standard polytrack. Three featured races stand out for punters looking for value beyond the chalk. Donnacha O'Brien's yard is running hot at 2/4 over the last fortnight, and Aidan O'Brien's operation also look ready to fire. Conditions are standard — no excuses on that front. Let's get into it.

5:45 — Put The Fun Into Fundraising At Dundalk Handicap (6f, 12 runners)

Twelve runners over six furlongs — this is the race of the night for each-way punters and it's wide open at the top. The market favourite Inishfallen looks vulnerable at around 9/4. Stephen Thorne's yard is 0/4 in the last 14 days and that form string — 5-4442 — screams consistent underachiever. Colin Keane in the saddle will attract punters, but a yard out of form with a horse that hasn't won in this sequence doesn't appeal at that price.

Sporting Hero Each-Way — 15/2 with Bet365, William Hill, Unibet — is the one to be on. William Durkan's yard is a perfect 1/1 in the last 14 days — small sample, but it tells you the yard is awake and sending runners out primed. Chris Hayes gets the call, a man who knows this track inside out. The form reads -60141 and that "141" tail end is key: this horse has won over this trip, knows how to find the line, and comes in off a mark that looks workable in a race where plenty of the field are trying to rekindle form they haven't shown in months. At 15/2 in a 12-runner handicap paying four places, the each-way case is compelling.

Clonmacash at 15/2 also catches the eye — RPR of 87 is solid and the last six runs show real consistency with a "127" in there. Adrian McGuinness is only 1/19 in the past fortnight though, which is a cold yard by any measure, so Sporting Hero gets the nod.

6:45 — Dundalk Stadium Open All Summer Maiden (6f, 10 runners)

Ocean's Breath heads this on RPR 91 and Colin Keane's booking confirms he's expected to go close, but 11/10 on a horse with only "24-" in the book is a short price to swallow in a maiden with debut runners lurking.

Hasita Each-Way — 13/2 with Bet365 and Unibet — is the value play. JP Murtagh's yard is 0/12 in the last 14 days and that's a concern, but Hasita's form figure of "08-" doesn't tell the full story — that RPR of 82 is eyecatching for a maiden who hasn't been exposed, and Ben Coen staying loyal to her suggests connections see improvement. She's bred to appreciate the synthetic surface and six furlongs on the polytrack suits a filly looking to graduate. At more than 6/1 in a race where the favourite is odds-on, she's overpriced.

Falcon Queen at 11/1 (Bet365) is another to note on each-way terms — Karl Condon's yard is 1/2 in the last fortnight, she ran a quiet debut fourth and the step back to six furlongs could unlock improvement. But at a bigger price with less market support, Hasita is the stronger play.

7:45 — BAR 1 Betting "Great App, No Joke" Fillies Maiden (1m2½f, 9 runners)

Emmeleia heads the market at 11/8 and the RPR of 95 with a TS of 79 makes her the class act in the field on paper. Donnacha O'Brien's yard going 2/4 in the last fortnight shows they're in business, and Gavin Ryan is booked. She's the one to beat.

But the angle here is Eretria — 10/3 with Bet365 and William Hill, around 4.8 on Betfair Exchange. She's a stablemate of the market leader, also trained by Donnacha O'Brien, and when the same yard saddles a 10/3 shot alongside an 11/8 favourite, the market is telling you something. Debut runners from this yard at Dundalk deserve enormous respect, and the fact Chris Hayes — a top-level operator — is put up on her rather than a lesser booking says a lot. She has no RPR, meaning she's unexposed, and over this longer 1m2½f trip, there's every chance she's bred to get it in a way that could surprise.

If you're playing it safe, Emmeleia to win is fair enough at 11/8. But if you want the overlay, Eretria at 10/3 is the call — same yard, same form potential, three times the price.

Today's NAP