Kilbeggan, Friday 24 April 2026 — Good To Yielding
Eight races on a Friday evening card at Kilbeggan, and Good To Yielding going is the key theme to work through. This is a track that rewards horses with proven form on decent ground, and the handicap hurdles in particular look competitive. Three races stand out for a tipping angle. Here is where the value lies.
6:59 — William Hill Each Way Extra Challenge Series Beginners Chase (2m6½f)
Thirteen runners in a beginners chase is a decent field, and with a 13-runner field over fences, things can get messy. The market leader Supersundae (15/8) has the class on paper, a 142-rated hurdler who reached a Supreme Novices' Hurdle, but his two chase starts have produced nothing close to that level and he has pulled up twice at Grade 1 level over hurdles since. The talent is there but this is not the horse to be banking on at odds-on territory.
Pray Tell (13/2, Bet365/William Hill) is the selection. John Shinnick rides for Desmond Kenneally, and this ten-year-old has already shown more promise over fences than anything else at realistic odds in this field. A Grade 3 novice hurdle winner at Cork over 3m last December, he went second behind Argento Boy at Punchestown on his chasing debut before a fall took him out of the race won by Solder In Milan. That Punchestown run put him clear of My Trump Card, who he beat on those figures and who reappears here at 10/1. Good To Yielding suits a horse with that kind of staying hurdles background, and Kenneally has trained him patiently. At 13/2 in a 13-runner field with three places each-way on offer, there is genuine value in an each-way play.
Selection: Pray Tell Each-Way at 13/2 (Bet365, William Hill, Coral). Three places at 1/5 odds.
4:50 — Follow Kilbeggan On Social Media Handicap Hurdle (2m½f, 17 runners)
Seventeen runners in a 2m½f handicap hurdle on Good To Yielding ground at Kilbeggan. This race wants unpicking carefully. Four places each-way, which opens up the market considerably.
The standout angle is Kabylia Each-Way at 14/1 (William Hill, Coral, Boyle Sports). Gavin Cromwell's six-year-old mare has placed on all four of her maiden hurdle starts, two of them at this very track. She won a bumper at Kilbeggan last season on this card, so she has a strong affinity with the venue. Her Fairyhouse run at Easter came on softer ground than ideal after a break, and that needs to be excused. Good To Yielding is where she operates, and returning here fresh for a yard that has been among the more active in Ireland over the last fortnight makes this a compelling each-way play at a double-figure price.
Malbay Madness (22/1) won this exact race twelve months ago and followed up in May, which makes him impossible to dismiss entirely. He is 10lb higher now, which is a genuine concern, and he has been out of the money on both of his 2025 starts. Worth noting as a saver in a big field, but Kabylia is the sharper angle at the price.
The Harrington-trained Jerrari at 16/1 is another with course form, having been beaten here last June before back-to-back wins at Roscommon and Galway. The poor run at Downpatrick in yielding ground is the worry, but three wins on good ground and a yard that has been running regularly make him a watch.
Selection: Kabylia Each-Way at 14/1 (William Hill, Coral, Boyle Sports). Four places at 1/5 odds.
4:15 — Aguiar Racing Maiden Hurdle (2m½f, 17 runners)
The market has made up its mind about this one. Master Haku at 8/11 (Bet365, William Hill) is the Gordon Elliott favourite, and the form reading is hard to argue with. He was beaten a head at Cork on his second start by Grey Jude, who carries an official rating of 122. That benchmark implies Master Haku is significantly better than anything else in a 17-runner maiden hurdle field, and this is a straightforward confidence assignment for the yard rather than a race to swim against the tide on.
The each-way interest at longer odds belongs to The Store Boy at 11/2 (Bet365, CopyBet) for Henry De Bromhead. This six-year-old has shown fair form in bumpers and hurdles without threatening to win, but he has put himself into handicap company more than once and ran a respectable race when seventh of 18 at Leopardstown in December. His fall at the last at Fairyhouse in January came in a rated contest, suggesting the form behind him was solid. If Master Haku gets beat, De Bromhead's runner looks the most likely beneficiary.
In a 17-runner maiden, Endless Talking at 4/1 is attractively priced if you believe better ground unlocks improvement, but the yard's primary entry is the favourite and the form gap to Master Haku looks wide.
Selection: Master Haku at 8/11 (Bet365, William Hill, Boyle Sports).
Today's NAP
Odds: 14/1 — William Hill (others: 14/1 Coral, 14/1 Boyle Sports)
Two placed runs at Kilbeggan over hurdles, plus a bumper win at this very meeting last season. Gavin Cromwell's mare has been placed on every maiden hurdle start she has completed, and the Fairyhouse run at Easter is excusable on ground that was softer than she wants. Good To Yielding is her ground, this is her track, and 14/1 in a four-place each-way race with 17 runners is a genuinely generous price for a horse with this much course form. Cromwell's yard has been active and productive recently, and this fits the profile of a trainer placing a mare confidently back on a track she clearly enjoys.
Each-Way Recommended — 4 places at 1/5 odds