Killarney, Thursday 20 August 2026: Tips & Selections

Killarney, Thursday 20 August 2026: Tips & Selections

A warm August evening at Killarney, good ground throughout, and three races worth your attention on an eight-race card. The Kerry track rewards course specialists, and the jockey stats here are genuinely useful: J J Slevin and Jack Kennedy both post strong A/E figures at this track, meaning when they’re aboard something fancied, you take notice. Willie Mullins sends runners here in big numbers but his 0.88 A/E tells you the market often overcooks his runners at this track specifically. Keep that in mind before following him blindly.

Let’s cut to the races that matter.

5:08 — GMIB Handicap Hurdle (2m1f, Good, 10 runners)

Selection: Fiveonefive (3/1, Boyle Sports)

Jack Kennedy’s 21% strike rate at Killarney with an A/E of 1.09 means he clears the bar every time he turns up here, and today he’s on the race’s most in-form runner. Fiveonefive won just 19 days ago, so fitness is not in question, and he has course and distance experience on good ground. The 166lb top weight is the one thing that could anchor him, but handicappers don’t always get it right when a horse is moving through the gears, and this one clearly is. Cian Collins’s yard has gone cold in the last fortnight at 0/9, which is the only real concern around the horse himself. At 3/1 in a 10-runner handicap, you’re not getting a steal, but Kennedy + recent winner + proven in conditions is a combination that deserves respect.

Each-way alternative: Gino Bella (4/1, Boyle Sports)

Back-to-back wins, proven over trip and going, and 4/1 in an open handicap? Gino Bella is the race’s most interesting each-way proposition. The rating is against her but recent form is what counts, and two wins on the bounce suggest she’s operating above her official mark right now.

7:45 — Gallivan Financial Handicap Steeplechase (2m1f, Good, 9 runners)

Selection: Femme Magnifique (3/1, Boyle Sports)

Won last time out, won three starts back, proven over today’s trip and going. The form string tells a clear story: this mare is in the form of her life. Yes, 164lb is a substantial weight to carry, but she’s been asked to shoulder big weights before and has still found the winner’s enclosure. David Harry Kelly’s yard has gone 1/12 in the last 14 days, which is lukewarm at best, but the horse’s own form is the dominant factor here. She’s the most obvious winner in the race on raw form.

Each-way angle: Stuntman Steve Each-Way (5/1, Boyle Sports)

Gavin Cromwell is firing with 5 wins from 16 runners in the past fortnight. That’s a trainer in top form, and Stuntman Steve is rated second-best in the field. The recent record includes an unseating and a pulled-up, which is messy, but Cromwell’s hot spell and the horse’s ratings profile make him a strong each-way shout at 5/1 in a nine-runner handicap chase. Eoghan Finegan at 15% wins and an eye-catching A/E of 2.62 at Killarney adds further appeal to this combination.

5:43 — Irish Stallion Farms EBF Novice Hurdle (2m7f, Good, 6 runners)

Selection: Local News (9/2, Boyle Sports)

Two from two. That’s the form line for Local News, a six-year-old mare trained by Richard Hennessy. Back-to-back wins in novice company, stepping up to 2m7f today, and priced at 9/2 against a Mullins favourite that carries the weight of expectation but only a modest form line: Diamond Du Berlais has finished third last time, and her form of 8164-3 is hardly the stuff of certainty at odds-on.

Mullins’s 0.88 A/E at Killarney is the key stat here. The market has Diamond Du Berlais as a near-certainty at 8/11, but the local data says this track doesn’t suit his runners as well as the price implies. Local News is unbeaten, fresher in class terms, and at 9/2 looks significantly overpriced against a short-priced favourite with genuine vulnerabilities. J J Slevin’s 1.26 A/E at Killarney also gives Pets Georgina some interest at 8/1 for those wanting a speculative each-way flutter, given her recent form of four wins in five with a course and distance profile to match.

Today’s NAP

Local News — Irish Stallion Farms EBF Novice Hurdle (5:43, Killarney)
Odds: 9/2 — Boyle Sports (others: 9/2 Betfred, 9/2 LiveScore Bet)

Two wins from two starts in novice hurdles tells a simple story: this mare wins when she runs. The market has gone big on the Mullins runner Diamond Du Berlais, but Willie’s 0.88 A/E at this track is a red flag for anyone laying serious money at 8/11. Local News is unbeaten, proven at this level, and the 9/2 available is a genuine overlay against a favourite whose recent form does not scream certainty. Back the horse with the winning habit, not the famous trainer’s name.