Nottingham, Sunday 26 April 2026: Tips and Best Bets

Nottingham, Sunday 26 April 2026: Tips and Best Bets

A solid Sunday card at Nottingham on good ground, with three featured races that offer genuine punting interest. The highlight is the Listed Nottinghamshire Oaks Stakes, which contains one of the classiest mares in training at this level. Below that, a competitive sprint handicap and a staying handicap both have angles worth exploiting. Let's get into it.

4:25 — Pertemps Network Commercial Handicap (5f, Good)

Ten runners over the minimum trip on decent ground. The key angle here is the form clash between the two market principles, and on balance, the challenger looks underrated.

Nad Alshiba Green at 13/8 (BetTom, Bet Goodwin, BetWright) is the pick. Three turf wins to her name, one of them over this course and distance, gives her a profile that suits today's conditions perfectly. Her Wolverhampton reappearance last time saw her run a cracker from a difficult position, going down narrowly to Layla Liz, and that form is solid. She was the beaten favourite that day, came from off the pace, and was doing all her best work late. Strip out the positional disadvantage on a track that rewards front runners, and she reverses the form with ease here. Clive Cox's yard is quiet on a 14-day basis (0/13), but this filly clearly came back fit and ready from that run. The course form is the differentiator.

Layla Liz at 13/2 (Bet365) deserves respect. Archie Watson's yard is operating at a decent clip (5/18 over 14 days), and Hollie Doyle rides. But she is a make-all type who has thrived on the all-weather this winter, and good ground at Nottingham over five furlongs is a different test. Forgive her the AW bias and she looks workable at the price, but not the value call.

Smart Vision at 8/1 (Betfred, Unibet) gets a free pass for his reappearance run after being badly hampered. Six wins split evenly between 2024 and 2025 shows consistency, but the yard stats (0/13) are a concern and he has to prove the current mark is beatable. One for the shortlist rather than the betting slip today.

4:55 — British Stallion Studs EBF Nottinghamshire Oaks Stakes (Listed, 1m2f, Good)

Six fillies and mares in a Listed race that, on ratings, should be dominated by one horse. The question is whether her rivals can exploit any ring-rustiness.

See The Fire at 2/5 (William Hill, Boyle Sports) is odds-on and will take a lot of beating. A Group 2 winner at York over this trip, she has placed at Group 1 level at Royal Ascot and Longchamp. Coming back down to Listed company, she sets a standard the rest simply cannot match on RPR. Andrew Balding's yard is ticking over at 5/35 over 14 days, which is modest, but this mare is class above. Rob Hornby takes the ride. Back her with confidence.

The race for the places is more interesting. It's A Heartbeat Each-Way at 10/1 (Bet365, William Hill) makes the most appeal as the place pick. John O'Donoghue's Irish filly is lightly raced and clearly capable of better, completing a Curragh double last summer over shorter. Her Cork Listed reappearance was kept to 1m4f and this drop back to 1m2f looks a deliberate move by connections. Very low mileage on a young filly often means untapped potential. At 10/1 for two place positions at 1/4 odds, she represents solid each-way value behind the jolly.

Lava Stream at 12/1 (Bet365, William Hill) is the one to fear if she returns in proper order. She was progressive before running in the Irish Oaks and Yorkshire Oaks, and going close in the Ribblesdale at Royal Ascot over further tells you she stays well. Absent since 2024, so the fitness question is real. David O'Meara's stats (6/39) are workmanlike. Better to let the market confirm her well-being before committing, but note her for the future.

That's Amore at 10/1 (Bet365) is similarly lightly raced and Ralph Beckett always does well with this type. Her Cheshire Oaks placing flanked by wins is interesting, and a seasonal debut win at Southwell shows she came back ready. The bare ratings understate her, but so they do with several in here. It's a tough ask at this level on today's evidence.

5:25 — Pertemps Network Industrial Handicap (1m6f, Good)

A small-field staying handicap to close the day. Six runners and a competitive heat with several horses who have good course or distance form.

Codiak at 3/1 (Bet365, Coral, Betfred) is the selection. Edward Bethell's yard is in excellent form right now (6/25 over 14 days), which is the kind of trainer data you pin to the wall. The gelding has raised his game this winter with back-to-back wins over 1m4f on the all-weather, then ran respectably just three weeks ago. The key line in his profile is a close call on turf over this exact trip on good ground last November on handicap debut. That run tells you the surface switch is not a concern, and he arrives here seasoned and progressive. Oisin Orr takes the ride, a booking that carries weight. At 3/1 in a small-field handicap with a firing yard behind him, this is the banker of the day.

Rock N Roll Pinkie at 7/2 (Bet365, William Hill) is the obvious threat. She is 3-10 at Nottingham, effective over this distance, and ran well on her recent return. Ivan Furtado's yard is cold (0/22 over 14 days), but course form this strong cannot be dismissed. She will push Codiak hard.

Just An Hour Each-Way at 3/1 (BetTom, Bet Goodwin) deserves mention. Won here at 1m2f last April, kept his form consistently well throughout the season, and his only crack at this trip saw him finish second in October. The recent reappearance here was another solid show. At a joint-best price in the field, each-way punters get excellent terms with only two places on offer. The Spotlight flags him for each-way claims, and that endorsement is well placed.

Today's NAP