Fakenham, Monday 6 April 2026 — Good Ground Tips
A Monday card at Fakenham rarely sets pulses racing, but there are three competitive races here worth your attention, and the going description of Good suits several horses who've been crying out for a sounder surface. With small fields throughout, patience is the game, but a couple of angles stand out sharply.
2:15 — Join Racing TV Now Handicap Hurdle (2m4f)
Selection: Coolkatie (3/1, William Hill / Coral)
Dan Skelton has been in tremendous form over the last fortnight with a 10/38 strike-rate that would make any punter sit up. He doesn't send horses to Monday Fakenham without purpose. Coolkatie is a six-year-old mare with a profile that screams "on the up" at the right time.
Her Warwick fall in December came when she was travelling well enough to have placed, and her Exeter run in February on heavy ground can be completely forgiven. That's not her game. Today's Good ground over 2m4f is the precise combination she wants, and Harry Skelton takes the ride. The booking matters. When the Skeltons saddle a handicap novice at a regional track with the number-one jockey aboard, they fancy their chances.
The form here is weak enough that her ceiling doesn't need to be very high. Bitsnbuckles improved markedly at Southwell but disappointed last time. Painted Wolf is interesting off a light weight but remains winless over hurdles in six attempts. At 3/1 with the Skelton yard firing, Coolkatie is the play.
- Coolkatie — 3/1 (William Hill, Coral)
- Each-way terms: 3 places at 1/5 odds
- Watch: Shotgun Rider if he settles, Painted Wolf as the place banker
2:50 — Aldiss Juvenile Maiden Hurdle (2m)
Selection: Tralee Girl (1/4, William Hill)
No point pretending otherwise: Tralee Girl wins this unless something goes badly wrong. A Listed-placed hurdler at Wetherby and Newbury, trained by Dan Skelton with Harry in the saddle again, dropping into a seven-runner juvenile maiden at Fakenham. The 1/4 is what it is. This is a banker in an accumulator or the vehicle to boost a double, not a standalone single.
The one to frame around her is Fitzroy Gardens Each-Way at 18/1 (Bet365, William Hill). Micky Hammond's filly won on the AW in Ireland and improved markedly at Catterick last month when third under blinkers over a similar trip. The handicapper hasn't got to her yet, the stable has a 3/23 recent strike-rate which is modest but active, and at 18/1 in a race where the favourite is near-unbeatable, she's your value each-way play for the two places on offer at 1/4 odds.
- Tralee Girl — 1/4 (William Hill): Banker only, not a standalone
- Fitzroy Gardens — 18/1 (Bet365, William Hill): Each-way, second place is realistic
3:25 — Aldiss "Chasing Excellence" Novices' Chase (2m5f)
Selection: Walking On Air Each-Way (2/1, Bet365 / William Hill)
Only three runners, so each-way terms won't apply in the standard sense, but the race itself is worth unpicking. Sonigino is the 8/11 favourite for Paul Nicholls on his chasing debut, and the hurdling form is genuinely smart with a 6/22 strike-rate over jumps. However, the concern is real: he's shown his form on only one of three starts since returning this season, and making your chasing debut on Good ground at Fakenham after patchy form is not a gimme.
Walking On Air at 2/1 is the alternative. RPR of 142 and a third in the Great Yorkshire Chase in January shows there's a horse here. The Cheltenham Festival run over an absurd 3m6f can be shelved. He handles Good ground, the Spotlight confirms it, and Kielan Woods is a capable pilot. The elephant in the room is the 0/10 record over fences, but he's not a horse without talent, he's a horse who hasn't fired consistently. On his day, that 142 RPR makes him dangerous.
Kilaro is the wildcard: a Tim Easterby horse making his chasing debut, yard completely out of form at 0/11 in 14 days. Interesting as a future prospect, irrelevant today. Swerve.
- Walking On Air — 2/1 (Bet365, William Hill)
- Sonigino — 8/11 (Bet365): Acceptable if you need a short price, but the inconsistency is a genuine flag
Today's NAP
Odds: 3/1 — William Hill (others: 3/1 Coral, 4.6 Betfair Exchange)
Dan Skelton's 10/38 two-week strike-rate is not the work of a cold yard, and sending Coolkatie to Fakenham with Harry in the saddle tells you exactly what the intention is. Good ground over 2m4f is the setup she's been waiting for: the Warwick fall came when she was travelling well enough to place, the Exeter heavy-ground run is irrelevant context. In a modest seven-runner handicap, her unexposed profile and powerful trainer angle make 3/1 look fair at worst and generous at best.