Fontwell, Thursday 14 May 2026 — Evening Card Tips

Fontwell, Thursday 14 May 2026 — Evening Card Tips

A six-race card at Fontwell on good ground, and while the fields are modest in size, there are some genuinely interesting angles to unpick. Dan Skelton’s yard is in red-hot form right now (12 winners from 38 runners in the last fortnight), and that stat alone shapes how you approach tonight’s card. Let’s get into it.

5:34 — Mercedes-Benz Of Chichester Mares’ Maiden Hurdle (2m1½f)

Selection: Hidden Fortune (Harry Skelton) — 3/1 (Boyle Sports, Betfred, LiveScore Bet)

Dan Skelton’s yard is the form stable on this card and Hidden Fortune makes plenty of appeal on her hurdles debut. She won a point-to-point over 3 miles on good to yielding, was placed twice in bumpers on good to soft and good ground, and she’s a sister to a horse that went on to win over 3 miles of hurdles. That family profile, combined with her point-to-point form, suggests she’ll jump hurdles naturally and see out this 2m1½f trip with ease.

The 3/1 is not enormous, but Skelton’s runners in this kind of maiden should be respected. Harry takes the ride, which tells you the yard is treating this seriously. Good ground suits, the breeding suits, and the yard is firing. A confident selection.

Second pick in the race is Secret Des Lune at 4/1 (Boyle Sports, LiveScore Bet). She arrives on the back of a win and a form line of 221, so she’s placed every time and is improving. Worth covering for the place at least.

6:10 — KSR Lighting Handicap Hurdle (2m3f)

Selection: Taritino (Bryan Carver) — 4/1 (Boyle Sports, Betfred, LiveScore Bet)

Taritino catches the eye in this eight-runner handicap. The form string reads 61321 and that most recent win puts him bang in form coming into tonight. He’s running off the back of a victory, has placed three times in his last five, and the 4/1 looks a fair price given recent consistency.

The danger is Oakley, who won last time out and is backed down to 9/4 favourite. He’s carried a big weight before but that price feels short in a handicap. Motazzen at 4/1 is also interesting, winning last time and seemingly thriving for Henrietta Knight despite the yard’s lean recent spell.

Taritino at 4/1 represents the value in the field given how live his recent form looks, and Bryan Carver has ridden him before.

6:40 — Fontwell Park Half Year Membership Novices’ Handicap Chase (2m3½f)

Selection: Thickthorn Tom (Harry Skelton) — 7/4 (Boyle Sports, Betfred, 15/8 LiveScore Bet)

Back to the Skelton yard, and this one is hard to get away from. Thickthorn Tom ran a career-best chase performance when third of 11 at Exeter over 3 miles on good to soft in March, and while he drops back to 2m3½f tonight, tonight’s good ground should suit better than the Exeter conditions. He adds a tongue-tie to his cheekpieces, which is a trainer intervention worth noting on a horse Dan Skelton clearly has a plan for.

The rival to beat is Ballyfinn at 5/2. He won here last Wednesday over a longer trip and has track form, but he carries a 7lb penalty back down in trip and the Skelton horse gets in on a lower weight. Fontwell’s undulating track rewards precise jumpers and Thickthorn Tom, despite limited chase experience, showed enough at Exeter to suggest he handles those demands.

At 7/4 this is not an each-way play. Back him to win. The yard’s current strike rate makes this the most compelling bet on the card.

Today’s NAP