Nottingham, 2 July 2026: Tips, Angles and Best Bets

Nottingham, 2 July 2026: Tips, Angles and Best Bets

A seven-race card at Nottingham on good to firm ground, partly cloudy skies keeping conditions consistent throughout the afternoon. The fast surface is going to sort out a few of these fields nicely. Three races stand out for punters looking for value, with two competitive nurseries and a fillies maiden that has a genuine each-way puzzle to unpick. Let’s get into it.

2:00 — Racedays For 9 Pound At Nottingham Racecourse Nursery (6f, 2yo, Good To Firm)

Selection: Ziggy Starshine Each-Way — 7/2 Boyle Sports (4/1 Betfred)

Jack Doughty rides, and that combination of jockey and course is worth flagging immediately. Doughty hits 21% at Nottingham with an A/E of 1.75, which is a seriously profitable record and one that beats most of the big names on this card. The yard of Dr Richard Newland and Jamie Insole has sent out 4 winners from 31 runners in the last 14 days, so the operation is ticking over.

Ziggy Starshine herself brings a form line of 1-2-2 into her handicap debut off a mark of 74. Her latest at Wetherby was a 2-length defeat stepping slightly up in trip, but the step to 6f today looks tailored for her. She handles a sound surface, the handicapper has given her a fair opening mark, and she arrives fresh. In an 8-runner field with 3 places paid at 1/5 odds, the each-way play at 7/2 looks sound.

Innichen is the market leader at 5/2 and commands respect after winning at Pontefract, but the 2-month break is a question mark stepping into handicap company for the first time. Koodini ran well here last time and knows the track, so he enters the reckoning for a place at least.

2:30 — EBF Maiden Fillies’ Stakes (6f, 2yo, Good To Firm)

Selection: Grey Tamam — 9/4 Boyle Sports (9/4 Betfred, 2/1 LiveScore Bet)

James Tate’s yard is running at 32% in the last 14 days across 22 runners. That is an outstanding recent strike rate and the kind of form that means a Tate debutant commands serious respect, particularly one sourced from the breeze-ups at 140,000 euros. Grey Tamam is a Churchill filly by a sire who gets winners, and while her dam excelled over further, breeze-up fillies bred for speed regularly impress at 6f on debut in these EBF maidens.

The chief threat is Chiwara at 3/1 for the Fahey yard. She ran second on debut at Ripon over 6f on good ground, so the trip and conditions are confirmed to suit, and second-time-out juveniles who shaped with promise first time up are always a danger in these races. She is the main danger and makes the race competitive.

Ash Tree at 9/4 is interesting as a 240,000-euro Blue Point filly, full sister to Archer Royal, trained by Jane Chapple-Hyam who has sent out 4 winners in 17 runners over the last fortnight. But Grey Tamam’s combination of trainer form, breeze-up profile and going suitability makes her the pick at a price that remains workable.

Small field of 6, so no each-way play here.

3:00 — Hon. Alderman Malcolm Wood Memorial Nursery (5f, 2yo, Good To Firm)

Selection: Undercover Affair — 11/4 Boyle Sports (11/4 Betfred)

David Evans has had 4 winners from 19 runners in the last 14 days and this lightly-raced gelding arrives on the back of a narrow defeat at Redcar, going down by a neck in a novice contest at 5f. That form looks solid for this level and the step into handicap company with a first-time visor is a classic Evans move when he fancies his chances.

The form line reads 4-2-2-1-4-2. He wins races, he places, and the consistent profile across varying tracks suggests there are no serious ground or trip quirks to worry about on today’s good to firm. At 11/4 in a 7-runner field, the price is fair rather than spectacular, but the angle is genuine.

Wait Geordie heads our ratings and rates the main danger. Hugo Palmer’s yard has been busy and productive with 6 winners from 53 runners recently, and Wait Geordie won recently before that forgettable Beverley run. If the visor can be explained away, he bounces back here. Seed Ya Later for Jack Channon (22% at Nottingham) is also respected at 7/2 having run third under a penalty, though that penalty itself tells you the handicapper has her at the right level for now.

Holi Scarlett at 8/1 for Jack Doughty is an interesting each-way option. Doughty’s Nottingham record is the best on the card, and she steps into handicap company after a placed effort at Bath. At 8/1 with 2 places paid, she merits a small each-way interest.

Today’s NAP

Grey Tamam — EBF Maiden Fillies’ Stakes (2:30, Nottingham)
Odds: 9/4 — Boyle Sports (others: 9/4 Betfred, 2/1 LiveScore Bet)

James Tate is firing at 32% in the last fortnight and this 140,000-euro Churchill breeze-up filly has a profile built for a fast-ground 6f debut. Breeze-up purchases from sharp yards regularly deliver first time out in EBF maidens, and with Tate in the form of his life, Grey Tamam demands respect at the head of the market. Chiwara offers the main danger but the trainer angle here is simply too strong to ignore at 9/4.