Kempton (AW) Tips: Wednesday 20 May 2026

Kempton (AW) Tips: Wednesday 20 May 2026

A midweek evening card at Kempton on Standard To Slow polytrack, with showers in the forecast keeping things honest. Three races worth a proper look, including a 14-runner handicap opener that sets the tone nicely. Nothing to rival the scale of a festival card, but there’s genuine value on offer if you know where to look. Let’s get into it.

8:00 — Try Unibet’s New Smartview Racecards Handicap (7f, 14 runners)

Selection: I’m Workin On It (9/4, Boyle Sports/Betfred) ridden by Lewis Edmunds for Rod Millman

The angle here is almost embarrassingly straightforward, and yet the market has him at a workable price in a 14-runner field. All four of this gelding’s wins have come over course and distance at Kempton, and his latest effort two weeks ago was a personal best, winning from the front against 13 rivals as a 7/2 shot. Up 4lb for that, yes, but horses who post career-best RPRs often carry that momentum into their next run rather than immediately regressing.

The Millman yard is ticking over at 3/18 in the last fortnight, which is modest but not cold. The C&D record is the decisive factor. This is not a horse who happens to win here occasionally. Kempton over 7f is genuinely his track. Four wins from four attempts is a pattern worth backing.

Rock Iguana (5/1, David Egan, Kevin Philippart de Foy) is the each-way alternative worth considering. Unchanged mark after a promising return run at Southwell where he didn’t get a clear passage. Lightly raced 4yo with upside. Chalk Mountain is a legitimate danger if returning from 238 days off in career-best shape, but that is a big assumption.

8:30 — London Sprint Series Qualifier Handicap (6f, 12 runners)

Selection: Hunky Dory (7/2, Boyle Sports/Betfred) ridden by Oisin Murphy for Jack Morland

Both of this 4yo’s wins have come on the all-weather over 6f, the most recent at Wolverhampton last month on his second start for the Morland yard. He then flopped on his return to turf at Bath on good ground, which is a forgivable aberration given his profile. He simply does not want turf, and this switch back to polytrack with Oisin Murphy in the saddle is the right move at the right time.

The Morland yard is running at 1/9 in the last fortnight, which is lean, but the horse’s own form profile is what matters most here. AW specialist, right surface, right trip, top jockey booking. At 7/2 he is not a monster price, but in a race where the market is genuinely open, he looks the most reliably placed contender.

Havana Blast (4/1, James Fanshawe) was runner-up at Wolverhampton last month and steps up in trip, which could suit. Fanshawe is running at 3/24 recently, which is a yard that has been ticking without catching fire. Change Sings (4/1, Eve Johnson Houghton) has been running with credit all season but that losing run stretching back to May 2024 is hard to ignore at this price.

5:30 — EBF Fillies’ Restricted Novice Stakes (6f, 12 runners)

Selection: Frumoasa (10/3, Boyle Sports/Betfred) ridden by Mikkel Mortensen for Charlie Fellowes

Won on debut at 18/1 at Southwell three weeks ago, coming from behind to get up late over 5f. The key detail is that she is a Supremacy filly, a sire whose stock tend to want every inch of 6f and beyond. The step from 5f to 6f here looks tailor-made, and the Fellowes yard is in decent nick at 2/16 over the past fortnight.

She carries a 7lb penalty, which is significant in juvenile company, but her debut win suggested she was value at 18/1 and a step forward at this track on a more suitable trip makes her the clear selection.

Bearly Blue is the most interesting debutante, bred with class through the family of Kind Of Blue and The Tin Man, and the Richard Hughes yard has won the last two runnings of this race, which is a stat you cannot simply file away. Lady Branksome with Oisin Murphy is a considered debutante worth keeping in mind if market vibes are strong pre-race. At this stage Frumoasa’s form in the book gives her the advantage over unraced rivals, but the Hughes filly is the one to watch in the market.

Today’s NAP