Roscommon, Monday 11 May 2026 — Tips and Selections

Roscommon, Monday 11 May 2026 — Tips and Selections

An eight-race card at Roscommon on good ground, and there are three races where the form data gives us something to work with. Roscommon is a fair, galloping track that tends to reward horses who stay well and handle good ground efficiently. With 18 runners in the big handicap, there is genuine each-way business to be done tonight.

7:23 — Irish Stallion Farms EBF Median Auction Race (Smullen Series) (1m2½f)

The market tells a story here. Nil Bua Gan Dua is 7/4 favourite but his form reads as a horse who has been exposed at the top level and found wanting. He was 40/1 in that Leopardstown Group 2 behind Benvenuto Cellini, and when pitched back into a Cork maiden on his reappearance he ran nowhere near his opening mark of 101. The Joseph O’Brien yard is 11 from 67 over the last fortnight, not a hot strike rate for a yard of that calibre.

The horse who catches the eye is Sir Benji at 2/1 (Boyle Sports, Betfred, LiveScore Bet). Gavin Cromwell’s gelding won his Navan debut over this exact trip on heavy ground, which is a significant step up in difficulty from what tonight’s rivals have mostly faced. He was keen and green and still won well. Critically, that form has received multiple boosts since, and the step up to better ground should not inconvenience a horse who powered through heavy so convincingly. Cromwell’s second string Elzaam Express holds no fears. Sir Benji is the play.

4:53 — Irish EBF Median Sires Series Maiden (7½f, 10 runners)

A wide-open juvenile maiden, and the most interesting angle in the race sits at a price. Joga Bonito is the 9/4 favourite for P Twomey, and those stats tell the whole story: nine winners from fourteen runners over the last fortnight is an extraordinary strike rate and one of the best on the Irish Flat right now. The colt cost 85,000 guineas, is closely related to Group-placed Silver Sword, and the pedigree through a dam who descends from Gold Cup winner Papineau suggests he will relish a step up in trip as he develops. At 7½ furlongs on debut, he should have enough class to dominate.

Joseph O’Brien’s Seven Nation Army at 4/1 is the obvious danger. A 55,000 euro yearling, brother to a Group 3 Italian 2,000 Guineas winner, and with DBM booked, he will attract market support. But Twomey’s form right now is the standout stable angle on the card, and Joga Bonito at 9/4 represents fair value given the yard’s current firepower.

5:53 — www.roscommonracecourse.ie Handicap (7½f, 18 runners)

The race of the evening and one with genuine handicap betting angles across the top of the market.

Sun Soldier Each-Way at 7/2 (Boyle Sports, Betfred, LiveScore Bet) is the selection. The A Oliver yard has gone 0 from 6 in the last fortnight, which is the one note of caution, but Sun Soldier’s profile is compelling. He won at Punchestown last year off a mark 7lb lower, and on his seasonal return at the Curragh over 7 furlongs on soft, he was not beaten far at all off his current mark. He is sharper for that run, the step back up to 7½ furlongs on a fair, galloping course should suit, and the draw is described as nice. Good ground is no concern given he won at Punchestown on good-to-yielding. At 7/2 in an 18-runner handicap, the each-way terms over four places at 1/5 odds make this a value proposition.

Gloriously Glam Each-Way at 10/1 (Boyle Sports, Betfred, LiveScore Bet) is worth including in the mix for those who want a saver. Two wins over a mile last season, a solid fourth on her return at Gowran on soft, and she has dropped a pound into tonight’s race. The spotlight is explicit: better ground suits, and “player” is not a word the form experts use lightly.

Fast Tara ran third at Limerick only 16 days ago and goes up just 1lb, but that wide draw is a genuine concern in an 18-runner field and she is best watched for now.

Today’s NAP