Plumpton, Sunday 5th April 2026 — Tips & Selections
A compact seven-race card at Plumpton on good ground, and there are three races worth getting stuck into. The going is riding well at this time of year around the Sussex circuit, which rewards handy, fluent jumpers that can maintain rhythm on a tight, undulating track. Two yards jump out from the trainer stats today: Emma Lavelle is firing at 7/19 over the past fortnight, and Gary and Josh Moore are similarly in form at 7/38. Follow the horses from both stables closely.
1:45 — Mares' Maiden Hurdle (2m4f)
Five runners and a clear market leader, but this race has a twist worth exploring. Eremenko (4/6 at Virgin Bet and LiveScore Bet) is the Nicky Henderson-trained favourite. She won on her hurdling debut before a run of placed and below-par efforts, and Henderson is operating at only 3/15 in the last 14 days, which is modest for that yard. She should still go very close but the price is short for a mare with a mixed recent profile.
The value interest sits with That Is Blue at 5/1 with Bet365, trained by Henrietta Knight, whose yard is absolutely flying at 3/6 in the last 14 days. A strike rate of 50% in that window tells you the horses from that stable are primed and ready. This mare has only one run under her belt, a third on her debut, but that experience over hurdles counts for something in a thin field, and the good ground suits a horse not yet exposed. At 5/1 in a five-runner contest, the place terms are secondary here, but the win angle is live.
Pigeon Forge from Emma Lavelle's hot yard also demands respect at 10/1 with Bet365. Lavelle is saddling horses at a 7/19 clip right now, and Pigeon Forge posted a fifth last time having previously shown she can mix it at this level. She is the sneaky outside runner if the favourite finds the going sharper than expected.
Selection: That Is Blue at 5/1 (Bet365). Win only in a five-runner field.
4:05 — BetGoodwin Sussex Champion Hurdle Handicap (2m)
This is the race of the day at Plumpton. Fourteen runners, a prize fund of over £33,000, four places at 1/5 odds, and a genuine spread of form. This is a competitive handicap hurdle where the angles really matter.
Indemnity is the most compelling selection in the race. Ben Jones takes the ride for Emma Lavelle, and that trainer stat of 7/19 in the last 14 days cannot be ignored. Indemnity posted an RPR of 141, the highest in the field, and a TS of 130, again top of the pile on the day. The form reads -11234, which shows a horse that broke through at this level, won twice, and is now dropping back slightly in form. But the key point here is that a horse rated 141 competing off 157lbs in a handicap like this is well treated relative to rivals clustered around the 134-137 band. The going suits. Lavelle has her horses in great nick. This is the one.
Best price: 5/1 with Bet365. Also 9/2 at William Hill.
Helnwein Each-Way at 8/1 (William Hill) is the each-way play to go alongside. Alan King is striking at 4/12 in the last fortnight, Tom Bellamy takes the ride, and this eight-year-old has been remarkably consistent with a form line of 2-2252. He keeps finding the frame. In a 14-runner handicap with four places paid, he is almost the textbook each-way candidate: proven at the level, consistent, good enough to place, and generously priced.
Mondo Man at 13/8 looks the main danger. The Moore yard is firing, the form shows back-to-back wins, and Caoilin Quinn is a capable partner. But 13/8 in a 14-runner handicap is a short price, and there is enough to oppose him at that figure.
Selection: Indemnity to win, Helnwein each-way.
4:40 — BetGoodwin Top Online Bookie Handicap Chase (2m4f)
Only four runners but the form is tight and the market reflects it. Superstylin has gone 232121 and is clearly in the form of his life. Chris Gordon's yard is striking at 3/11 in the last 14 days, Tom Cannon is a reliable jockey around a tight track, and this nine-year-old clearly loves to front-run and battle. At 11/8 with Midnite, he is not a value price, but he is the form pick.
The counter-argument is Sanitiser from Gary and Josh Moore, who are very much in a hot streak at 7/38. Freddie Mitchell claims 3lbs, making the weight more manageable, and the form reads 443112, with wins in two of the last four. At 11/4 with Bet365 and William Hill, there is a small edge in price compared to what the form suggests. This is a four-runner race with no each-way market worth pursuing, so it is win only and Superstylin's consistency probably edges it.
Selection: Superstylin at 5/4 with Bet365.
Today's NAP
Odds: 5/1 — Bet365 (others: 9/2 William Hill, 6.6 Betfair Exchange)
Emma Lavelle is at a red-hot 7/19 in the last 14 days, and Indemnity heads into this 14-runner handicap carrying the highest RPR in the field at 141. The form line of back-to-back wins followed by placed efforts shows a consistent performer who handles good ground and is well weighted against rivals rated in the 130s. At 5/1 in what amounts to a graded-level handicap, this is as clear a value NAP as this card offers.