Perth Friday Tips: April 24, 2026

Perth Friday Tips: April 24, 2026

A sharp eight-race card at Perth on good ground, and there are some genuine angles to work with across the featured handicaps. The going is important today: several horses in these fields have form specifically on good ground, and those that need cut will find themselves found out. Three races stand out for value, and I've gone against the market in two of them.

2:05 — QuinnBet Highland National Handicap Chase (3m6½f)

This is a proper stamina test over three miles and six furlongs, and the good ground narrows the field considerably. The horse I keep coming back to is Fever Dream Each-Way at 9/2 (Bet365, William Hill), trained by Christian Williams and ridden by Jack Tudor.

The Spotlight comment says it all: if the ground is bordering on good, this horse could take some beating. He absolutely hosed up at Warwick last month over three miles on good ground, and this is his second run back from a break, so he should be cherry ripe. The 8lb rise from the handicapper is fair enough given how easy the win looked, but he's not been hiked out of contention. Jack Tudor is a significant booking.

The danger is El Granjero at 9/2, who runs off an unchanged mark and has been placed three times over fences. James Bowen takes the ride and the horse clearly handles good ground too. The knock against him is that he's 0-5 over fences, and a horse that persistent about getting beaten is hard to trust at this price.

Stratagem at 11/1 (Bet365) is worth a mention. Wind surgery has done the job, he won at Sedgefield on good, and Mickey Bowen's yard is in form with three winners from 20 runners in the last fortnight. He might be the value in a weaker each-way position if Fever Dream is your main flag.

Selection: Fever Dream at 9/2, each-way. Four places at 1/5 odds in a 12-runner handicap represents good each-way value at this price.

2:40 — Perth Racecourse Racing & Events Handicap Hurdle (3m2½f)

Thirteen runners over an extended three miles, and Olly Murphy's yard has won the last two runnings of this race, which is a stat worth underlining. Murphy saddles two horses here, but it's Roaring Conquest at 9/2 (Bet365, Coral, Betfred) with Sean Bowen aboard who is the one I want.

He won a Class 3 handicap on reappearance, was still boxing on when beaten under 10 lengths at Uttoxeter last time in a genuinely deep race on soft, and this trip should suit him well. The step up to 3m2½f on good ground is a positive, and Sean Bowen choosing this one over any other Murphy runner tells you where the stable think they stand. Yard running at 10 winners from 49 over the last fortnight.

The market, however, has latched onto Jupiter Des Mottes at 10/3 (William Hill), and the case for Nicky Richards' seven-year-old is strong. He was well backed at Carlisle three weeks ago, won it easily over 3m1f on good to soft, and the Spotlight flags him as a horse with more to offer. He's taken a 6lb rise but is low-mileage and unexposed. Honestly, if you want to go with the market here, the case holds up.

Inferno Sacree at 9/1 has the form, winning at Taunton and Plumpton, but a defeat under the same jockey afterwards is a concern in a busier field here.

Selection: Roaring Conquest at 9/2 each-way. Murphy's stable record in this race, the Bowen booking, and a horse who stays well and is capable off this mark.

3:47 — Follow @racingtv On Instagram Handicap Hurdle (2m4f)

Ten runners, three places each-way, and this race has more depth than it looks on paper. The one I want to be on is The Dog Thief at 3/1 (CopyBet, Spreadex), trained by T Ellis, who has four winners from 13 runners in the last fortnight, and ridden by Miss Gina Andrews.

This is a handicap debutant making his way through the ranks at pace. He won a 3m maiden point, then chased home a horse who subsequently won a Grade 2, before landing a maiden hurdle at Market Rasen over this exact trip on good to soft, beating two next-time-out winners in the process. He's 2-2 over hurdles, he handles good ground, and he enters handicap company on a mark that looks workable given the quality he's already beaten.

The risk is obvious: he's unexposed and the handicapper may have already caught him. But horses with a profile like this in moderate Class 4/5 company often make a mockery of these fields on their first handicap start.

Jack Hyde at 4/1 (William Hill) from the Fergal O'Brien yard is the big threat. Won at Ludlow 25 days ago, handles this trip, and O'Brien is firing with eight winners from 29 in the last fortnight. The form book suggests he's competitive off 6lb higher.

Go Dante at 17/2 (Bet365) is interesting purely because Olly Murphy's yard has won the last two runnings of this race and he's dropped to a Class 3 for the first time since Cheltenham. But his recent form has been poor, and Sean Bowen isn't on him today.

Selection: The Dog Thief at 3/1. A short enough price for a handicap debutant, but the form he brings into this race is legitimate.

Today's NAP