Nottingham, Thursday 25 June 2026: Tips & Analysis

Nottingham, Thursday 25 June 2026: Tips & Analysis

A modest six-race card at Nottingham on a sunny afternoon, good ground and a card dominated by juveniles, novice fillies and a sprint handicap that throws up a very clear selection. Three races from the card are worth your attention today.

10:30 — Happy Retirement Martin Stoneman Fillies’ Novice Stakes (1m2f)

Three runners, but this is not the foregone conclusion the odds suggest. Velvet Vega trades at 4/9 for the Gosdens off form that has been franked at Group level, yet she has still not managed to get her head in front in two starts. Her latest run at Kempton saw her flatten out in the closing stages, which is not the profile you want seeing for a horse asked to go a mile and a quarter on what shapes as a stiffer test of stamina.

The value proposition here is Food For Thought at 5/4 with Boyle Sports and Betfred. Robert Beckett holds an 18% course strike rate at Nottingham, and his last 14 days show seven winners from 48 runners, a yard very much in working order. Food For Thought finished fourth at Chepstow last time and the comment is consistent: there was more in the tank, and a step up to 1m2f is exactly what her breeding calls for. Beckett’s fillies off this kind of run often improve markedly, and at even money territory against a favourite who has twice failed to convert, this is a fair risk.

Selection: Food For Thought (5/4, Boyle Sports/Betfred)

12:00 — EBF Restricted Maiden Stakes (6f, 10 runners)

Ten runners, plenty of debut types, and the form horse stands out clearly. Koodini at 11/4 with Boyle Sports and Betfred is the one to be on. Jason Watson rides, and he carries a 16% course win rate at Nottingham with an A/E of 1.09, so this is not a jockey who wastes his time at this track. The horse himself finished second at Chester last time, beaten three lengths in a race that looked a stronger contest, and he is a horse whose sire profile suits 6f well.

Henry Palmer’s yard has sent out six winners from 32 runners over the past 14 days, a 19% strike rate that tells you the horses are coming out in form. Against a field littered with debut runners and horses beaten well on their only start, a horse with form at this level and a jockey who knows this course should be taking the money.

Selection: Koodini (11/4, Boyle Sports/Betfred)

12:30 — Neigh More Early Starts For Martin Stoneman Handicap (6f, 7 runners)

This is the race of the day, and the selection could not be clearer. Fenlander at 4/6 with Boyle Sports and Betfred is odds-on, but that is not a reason to look elsewhere when the form merits the price.

Two wins in five starts, with the most recent being a four-length demolition at Leicester, pulling clear with plenty in hand off a mark 9lb lower than today’s. Yes, he is up another 9lb here, but the manner of that win suggested a horse who had more to offer than a modest handicap mark implied. Effective at 5-6f on any ground, good conditions suit, and trainer Patricia Sly has him in the right shape.

The dangers are limited. Emperor Caradoc is consistent without winning, Cuban Lady needs things to fall right, and Paws For Thought is poorly suited to today’s faster ground. Return Of The Gods is an intriguing unexposed three-year-old, but 78 days off the track and a handicap debut that was clearly a prep run at Kempton means he needs you to take a lot on trust today.

Fenlander is the bet at the price. This is not backing a short-priced favourite for the sake of it; it is backing a horse whose recent form is comfortably better than the field can match.

Selection: Fenlander (4/6, Boyle Sports/Betfred)

Today’s NAP

Fenlander — Neigh More Early Starts For Martin Stoneman Handicap (12:30, Nottingham)
Odds: 4/6 — Boyle Sports (others: 4/6 Betfred, 8/13 LiveScore Bet)

Two wins in five starts with the latest a four-length romp at Leicester off a mark 9lb lower, pulling clear under a confident ride. The 9lb rise is fair given the authority of that performance, and good ground at Nottingham over 6f is exactly his conditions. With the main dangers either ground-compromised, form-inconsistent or unproven at this level today, Fenlander is the standout selection on the card.