Fakenham, Monday 4 May 2026 – Tips and Selections

Fakenham, Monday 4 May 2026 – Tips and Selections

Fakenham is one of those tight, undulating right-handed tracks where course form counts for a great deal and horses that handle the idiosyncratic layout have a genuine edge. Good ground today suits the speedier types and puts the emphasis firmly on horses proven on decent surfaces. Three races stand out for punters seeking value, and there is a compelling case to be made in each of them.

5:13 — Chestnut Group Fakenham Grand Prix Handicap Hurdle (2m4f, 12 runners)

Selection: Rialannah (7/1 Bet365) Each-Way

The angle here is almost embarrassingly straightforward once you look at the course form. Rialannah won here just three weeks ago, going readily over 2m7f on good ground under Gavin Sheehan, who retains the ride today. Lucy Wadham's mare is stepping back to 2m4f, which is not a concern for a horse that travelled smoothly throughout that last run and won with something in reserve. The 5lb rise is fair given the manner of victory and does not push her out of contention at all.

Wadham's yard has been quiet in terms of recent winners, but this horse already hit the track in form and the trainer would not have run her again so quickly if there was any doubt about her wellbeing. At 7/1 with Bet365 and 15/2 with William Hill, she is the best-priced genuine contender in the race. Four places at 1/5 odds makes this a solid each-way play in a competitive 12-runner handicap.

Grand Conqueror is the market leader at around 11/2 to 5/1 and has decent form figures, but Neil Mulholland's yard has hit just one winner from 15 runners in the last fortnight. Secret Vino is the other to note, with T Ellis running at a 5/14 strike rate over the past two weeks, and the form figure of 15311 is strong. But Rialannah gets course, conditions, jockey continuity and a proven win here. She is the pick.

4:03 — Norfolk Community Foundation David Keith Memorial Veterans' Handicap Chase (3m, 7 runners)

Selection: Hold Your Fort (5/2 Bet365)

Seven runners, decent prize money, and a fascinating betting heat. Hold Your Fort (10yo) carries 149lbs and sits second favourite at 5/2 with Bet365, and the form figures of 14U12 tell you this is a horse that competes every time he lines up. The U stands for unseated, not a jumping issue, and his two most recent completions have been a win and a second. That level of consistency from Debra Hamer's yard against veterans is exactly what you want in this type of race.

The chief danger is Numitor at 3/1, who has Sean Bowen in the saddle and Heather Main's yard has been in decent nick with one winner from five runners recently. But Hold Your Fort has the better recent form trajectory and the weight advantage over the top-rated Lord Baddesley (who carries 142lbs off an RPR of 156) is significant.

Time To Bite is interesting given the spotlight note about being well suited by good ground and his eight chase wins, but he is on a career-high mark and slightly out of his comfort zone trip-wise at 3m. Pass him at 7/1.

Hold Your Fort at 5/2 is a confident selection in a small field where each-way is not the play. You want to back him to win outright.

4:38 — Chestnut Group Norfolk National Handicap Chase (3m5f, 10 runners)

Selection: Wicked Thoughts (5/1 Bet365) Each-Way

This is the marathon of the card and it rewards jumping ability and stamina. Wicked Thoughts is a 7yo from Paul Nicholls, ridden by Freddie Gingell, and the form line of /1431 is the best active sequence in the race. He won last time out and has placed in two of his three runs before that. At only 7, he is the youngest runner in a field full of veterans (9 to 12 year olds), and that freshness matters over 3m5f on good ground.

Nicholls has had a quieter recent fortnight at 3/19 but this horse's own form supersedes yard statistics. The RPR of 130 is solid and the TS of 118 suggests he is running close to his best. In a handicap chase of this distance with 10 runners, each-way is the right approach at 5/1 (three places at 1/5 terms).

Stans The Man is the favourite around 3/1 to 10/3, trained by Ella Pickard, with form figures of 43612. The most recent run was a second and he clearly handles this level, but Wicked Thoughts has actually won more recently and gets a 5lb claim from Gingell.

Tommie Beau won this exact race in 2022 but the spotlight is damning: regressed, inconsistent, and facing younger rivals with more appealing profiles. Ignore him at 10/1.

Today's NAP