Kilbeggan, Friday 15 May 2026 | Good To Yielding

Kilbeggan, Friday 15 May 2026 | Good To Yielding

Kilbeggan on a May evening is one of Irish racing’s more honest tests. The track rewards jumpers that stay, handle a bit of cut in the ground, and travel through a race rather than bowling along on the bridle. Good to yielding suits the grinders, and on a seven-race card that leans heavily toward handicap chases and hurdles, there is genuine value to be found if you ignore the obvious names and dig into the angles.

6:30 — Winning Post Service Station Handicap Hurdle (3m, 9 runners)

Selection: Mystic Malina | 4/1 Boyle Sports | Jockey: Phillip Enright | Trainer: Daniel G Murphy

Three miles on good to yielding ground suits a mare who has already shown she can score at this level, with a win and a seventh-place finish from five career starts telling a more nuanced story than the bare form suggests. The RPR of 131 is competitive with anything in this field, and Phillip Enright is one of the sharper conditional-free riders in Irish jumps racing at this level. The trainer has a quiet book, but the absence of recent runners makes profiling difficult in both directions. With top weight Mordor at 7/4 looking short for a horse returning on a mark of 130 after a lengthy absence, and favourite supporters needing to take a skinny price, Mystic Malina at 4/1 offers a far more palatable risk-to-reward ratio. She races off 151lbs, has posted a TS of 101 when last timed, and three miles around Kilbeggan on this ground gives her every chance to travel prominently and kick clear.

Ceanndana at 10/3 is also worth a mention for those wanting a saver. Ross O’Sullivan’s yard is in decent nick with 4 winners from 16 runners in the last fortnight, and Keith Donoghue is a confident booking.

7:05 — Cooke’s Bar And Restaurant Caragh Beginners Chase (2m4½f, 17 runners)

Selection: In The Trenches | 7/1 Boyle Sports | Jockey: Keith Donoghue | Trainer: Gavin Cromwell

Gavin Cromwell’s yard is absolutely firing right now, 7 winners from 68 runners in the past fortnight is a yard operating in top gear, not ticking over. Beginners chases with big fields at provincial tracks are precisely where shrewd trainers target horses who are ready to go but not Group One material, and In The Trenches has the highest RPR in this field at 119 alongside a TS of 104. That combination puts him clear of the majority on figures. The form reading of 2285-5 shows consistent proximity to the frame, which matters enormously when you are stepping up to fences. Keith Donoghue gets back on for this booking, a positive sign from Cromwell’s end. At 7/1 with Boyle Sports, this is a fair price for a horse from the hottest yard on the card.

Drop A Threat carries the Willie Mullins stamp and Danny Mullins in the saddle, and the champion trainer’s 17 winners from 98 over the past 14 days confirms the operation is ticking along. At 9/2 it is not a price that excites, but if you want a safer anchor in a 17-runner beginners’ chase, the Mullins runner will not be far away.

7:40 — Shanette Superior Space Handicap Chase (2m4½f, 17 runners)

Selection: Milan Forth Each-Way | 9/1 Boyle Sports | Jockey: Kevin Healy (7lb claim) | Trainer: Simon Cavanagh

Seventeen runners in a handicap chase at Kilbeggan means chaos is always a possibility, and that chaos suits horses who jump well and avoid trouble. Milan Forth is a seven-year-old with a TS of 123, the highest speed figure of any runner in this field. The form of P1875 includes a win, and at 159lbs he is not carrying a crushing weight. The concern is that Simon Cavanagh’s yard has gone 0 from 4 in the last fortnight, but the horse’s own figures justify the each-way interest rather than the trainer’s recent numbers. Kevin Healy’s 7lb claim is a significant weight advantage in a handicap this competitive, effectively reducing the burden below several rivals carrying similar or lighter official marks.

Marv Michael at 10/1 is the alternative angle. The RPR of 136 is the highest in the field, the TS of 121 confirms ability to perform on the day, and while Liz Doyle’s yard has gone quiet recently, the horse’s own profile makes him an interesting each-way player in a big-field handicap. Four places are on offer at 1/5 the odds, which makes the top of this market considerably more interesting from an each-way perspective.

Today’s NAP