Limerick, Saturday 25 April 2026: Tips and Best Bets
Limerick stages an eight-race card on yielding ground, and that surface is doing a lot of the work in terms of separating the wheat from the chaff today. Three races stand out for punters looking for value: the opening fillies' maiden, the colts and geldings equivalent, and a wide-open 19-runner handicap over a mile that should have the bookmakers sweating. Here are the angles worth backing.
1:35 โ Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies Maiden (7f)
Selection: Expert Dancer at 9/2 (Bet365)
Trainer Andrew Slattery is operating at a strong 5/24 strike rate in the last 14 days and Expert Dancer has been building steadily towards a performance like this. The spotlight data tells the story well: she caught the eye making late gains on debut at Naas over 6f last October, backed that up with a solid third on heavy ground at the Curragh, and on her seasonal return she was just 2.25 lengths behind Signora at Cork. That form looks solid in this context and the step up to 7f on yielding ground suits a filly who has always shaped as a stayer in the making.
With an RPR of 91 and a TS of 84, she's comfortably the best-rated runner in this field. The market agrees at 9/2 on Bet365, and that price still represents fair value given the stable's current form. Green Interlude (18/1, Bet365) is the most logical alternative for each-way purposes if you want to spread the risk, having shaped promisingly on debut at the Curragh, but she has failed to kick on and the stable's 9/54 recent record is moderate. Expert Dancer to win it.
2:10 โ Irish Stallion Farms EBF (C & G) Maiden (7f)
Selection: God Of Power at 5/2 (William Hill / Coral)
Andrew Slattery again, pulling double duty as trainer and jockey. God Of Power carries an RPR of 84 in a race where the opposition is thin on substance, and at 5/2 the market has made him a clear favourite. His form reads 49, which isn't spectacular on paper, but his last run at a sound surface should have taught him plenty and Slattery's 5/25 yard form is currently one of the sharpest on this card.
The main intrigue here comes from Dark Leader (20/1, Bet365), the J A Stack debutant. A 65,000gns Dark Angel gelding closely related to Listed winner The Wizard Of Eye, he warrants a market watch, and if he drifts to 20/1 or beyond on course you can cover him each-way without much guilt. But God Of Power is the most exposed form in the race and in current conditions, the Slattery yard looks too good to oppose.
4:25 โ Lorraine O'Mara Birthday Remembrance Handicap (1m, 19 runners)
Selection: Dark Summit Each-Way at 40/1 (Bet365 / William Hill)
Nineteen runners, five places paid, yielding ground and a field full of exposed handicappers. This is exactly where you want to be hunting value at a big price. Dark Summit ticks several boxes that the market has ignored.
He won on good to soft ground in France over a mile, shaped with plenty of promise on his Irish Lincolnshire debut for Denis Hogan in heavy conditions, then was stretched over 1m2f last time. Back to a mile on drying ground, dropped another 3lb to an RPR of 88, and he gets a largely inexperienced jockey in Jamie Powell but the stable angle is the key one here. Hogan's yard is 1/20 recently which looks poor on the surface, but that makes the 40/1 all the more generous when the horse has strong form credentials at this trip and surface combination.
Collecting Coin (5/1, Bet365) is the more obvious pick, a Galway winner who ran sound on his seasonal return at Naas and now drops 1lb stepping back to a mile. He's a legitimate contender and likely your safety net if you want to be onside at a shorter price. Hellorhighwater (6/1, Bet365) also has a decent profile on debut for his new stable. But at 40/1 in a five-place race, Dark Summit is the play that gives the bet genuine teeth.
Rion Rubette (13/2, Bet365) is worth noting as a course winner who won at Gowran just three days ago. The 7lb penalty is a significant ask in a race this competitive, but she stays a mile and a filly who wins twice quickly is a filly in form. Not for me at the price when there's more value elsewhere in the field.
Today's NAP
Odds: 9/2 โ Bet365 (others: 6.4 Betfair Exchange, 4/1 William Hill)
The form figures don't fully reflect how well this filly has been going. Three consistent efforts including an eye-catching debut and a solid placed run on heavy ground suggest she handles cut and has the ability to win a race like this. Stepping to 7f suits her style, the trainer is in red-hot form at 5/24 in the last two weeks, and an RPR of 91 puts her a cut above anything else in this field. Bet365's 9/2 is the best available and represents genuine value against a weak maiden backdrop.