Market Rasen, Friday 19 June 2026: Tips & Best Bets

Market Rasen, Friday 19 June 2026: Tips & Best Bets

A seven-race card at Market Rasen on good ground under partly cloudy skies. Not a day for throwing money at the market, but there are three races worth getting stuck into, and the trainer and jockey course stats throw up some angles that make the prices look a touch generous in places. Mickey Bowen is in red-hot form over the past fortnight (5/18) and his 28% course strike rate here makes anything from that yard worth a second look. Harry Cobden’s 29% course win rate with an A/E of 1.25 is the standout jockey figure on the card. Keep that in mind.

1:30 ABP Ports Of Grimsby & Immingham Maiden Hurdle (2m7f)

Selection: Kiwi de Cotte (11/8 Boyle Sports / Betfred)

Dan Skelton’s yard is operating at a blistering 14/29 over the past 14 days, and Harry Skelton has a solid 24% course win rate at Market Rasen. That combination alone commands respect in a maiden hurdle that isn’t exactly bursting with quality. Kiwi de Cotte’s form reads P1P1-P, which looks messy at a glance, but strip out the pulls and you have a horse that has won twice over hurdles. The concern is a pulled-up effort last time, though conditions today on good ground should suit better. The price has compressed to odds-on at LiveScore, which tells you the market agrees.

The bigger danger is Getaway Vic for the Bowen yard. Mickey Bowen’s 5/18 recent form and that 28% course record make him a constant threat at this track, and James Bowen riding is a further plus given his 20% here. The 2/1 available at Betfred is not ungenerous for a horse with a win in the book and course-competent connections. If you want a saver, that’s your horse.

Royal Rocket for Emma Lavelle is interesting at 11/4 to 4/1. Lavelle has a positive A/E of 1.07 at Market Rasen and Harry Cobden in the plate is a significant upgrade. The 2/1 finish last time out suggests the penny is dropping. Worth a small each-way interest if the price drifts.

2:40 Dan Shipping Handicap Chase (2m3f, 6 runners)

Selection: Thickthorn Tom (8/11 Boyle Sports / Betfred)

Odds-on, so no each-way badge and no pretending this is a value bet in the traditional sense, but Thickthorn Tom deserves to be a short price and the Skelton yard stats justify maximum confidence here. Dan Skelton has gone 14/29 in the last fortnight, which is a strike rate that simply demands you follow the yard. Harry Skelton’s 24% course win figure and the fact this horse finished first and second in its last two starts makes the jolts irrelevant. Form of 6P3-21 shows progression, and the good ground suits.

The only real threat comes from Wings On Wheels at 11/4, who has placed twice in his last four and steps up from a second last time. Ian Williams’ yard has struggled recently (1/49 in 14 days), which makes it hard to get excited at that price. Leave it alone.

Arctic Saint Each-Way at 8/1 (Boyle Sports) is worth a token each-way flutter. James Bowen’s 22% at the course is a genuine angle, Deborah Cole’s yard goes 1/1 in recent form, and at 8/1 the each-way terms give you a safety net. The form looks quiet but that price is big enough to warrant a small interest.

3:55 Associated British Ports “Summer Plate Trial” Handicap Chase (2m5½f, 7 runners)

Selection: Gateau De Miel (7/2 Boyle Sports / Betfred)

The feature race of the day, and the most open contest on the card. Fergal O’Brien has a 20% course strike rate and an A/E of 0.98, which is not flashy but is consistent, and he fired a winner in the last 14 days (1/14). Gateau De Miel’s form of 2P34-1 tells you there’s been plenty of mileage in this horse, but crucially it won last time out. Coming into a handicap chase in winning form on good ground at a course where the trainer knows his way around is a straightforward angle.

Ostend Each-Way at 4/1 (LiveScore Bet) is the horse you dare not leave out. Mickey Bowen is 5/18 in the past two weeks, his 28% course win rate is the best of any trainer on the card by some distance, and the A/E of 1.18 tells you he sends horses here ready to run. Shane Fenelon claims 5lbs which brings the weight right down to 142lbs. Form of P/334- looks moderate, but at 4/1 with connections this strong at the venue, an each-way interest makes complete sense.

Bhaloo for Nicky Henderson at 9/4 is obviously a serious player. Henderson wins 26% here at Market Rasen and James Bowen rides, who posts a 20% course win rate. The form of 63PP-2 is a little concerning given the pulled-up efforts, but that runner-up last time suggests the horse is getting back on track. The Henderson yard has gone 0/5 in the last 14 days, which dampens enthusiasm slightly at a price that doesn’t offer a great deal.

Today’s NAP

Thickthorn Tom — Dan Shipping Handicap Chase (2:40, Market Rasen)
Odds: 8/11 — Boyle Sports (others: 8/11 Betfred, 8/11 LiveScore Bet)

Dan Skelton’s yard is firing at 48% over the past fortnight, the best recent form of any trainer on the card, and Harry Skelton’s 24% course win rate at Market Rasen backs this up with local knowledge. Thickthorn Tom is on a winning line, has placed in five of his last six starts, and faces a modest field on ground that poses no problems. At odds-on the profit is modest, but the confidence is high: this is the single most logical result on the card.