Sligo, Sunday 3rd May 2026 — Tips and Selections

Sligo, Sunday 3rd May 2026 — Tips and Selections

A seven-race card at Sligo on good ground, and while this is no Cheltenham, there are some genuinely interesting betting angles across the card. Three races stand out for punters who like a proper look: the fillies handicap is the feature, but the two maidens earlier in the afternoon throw up some real form questions worth unpicking. Let's get into it.

1:35 — Download The Tote App Fillies Maiden (6½f)

Selection: Jackie Jump Up — 3/1 William Hill and Coral

This is a fairly open fillies maiden but Jackie Jump Up catches the eye on a couple of counts. The JP Murtagh yard has been in cracking form, posting 4 wins from 22 runners over the last 14 days, which is a yard-is-firing signal worth respecting. More importantly, this filly showed exactly what she can do on her final 2yo outing at Navan, finishing a strong-finishing third, neck behind Baiana, in a hood for the first time. That run triggered a running and riding enquiry, which tells you there was arguably more in the tank.

The interesting subplot here is the rematch with Baiana, sent off at similar prices. Baiana's form reads well, and Joseph Patrick O'Brien's runner will have followers at 10/3 to 11/4. But the Murtagh filly was arguably in front of her on merit at Navan, in a first-time hood, on debut in that headgear. Good ground is an unknown for most here on turf debuts, but the form profile and yard momentum tip the scales toward Jackie Jump Up. At 3/1, she looks the value call.

Andaman Fifty, the Twomey newcomer with strong pedigree, demands a note. Palace Pier filly, 90,000 euro yearling, half-sister to a Listed-placed winner. Respect on debut, but blind faith in an unraced newcomer at 9/4 is not for me when a filly with live, proven form is available at bigger odds.

2:10 — Tote.ie Median Auction Maiden (6½f)

Selection: Keogie — 4/1 Bet365

County Carlow is the jolly at 6/5 and the pedigree and price tag justify market respect. But the Twomey runner has been raced at seven furlongs and a mile at Dundalk, both times failing to see out the trip, and the cheekpieces added today suggest connections know there is work to do. Dropping back to 6½f helps, but backing him at near-evens in a first-time blinker on a track and trip combination he has not yet encountered feels like taking a lot on trust.

Keogie at 4/1 with Bet365 looks the more attractive bet. The Noel Meade runner made an excellent Curragh debut in March, staying on strongly into second over this exact trip on heavy ground, finishing 4.5 lengths clear of third-placed Fate's Gambit in the process. He was then sent forward at Gowran over a mile and simply didn't get home. Trip back to 6½f, switch to good ground, and that maiden run reads better than almost anything else in this field on actual racecourse evidence. Meade's yard is ticking along at 3 wins from 23 in the last 14 days, so not a yard in cold form.

Fate's Gambit ran Keogie to less than two lengths on debut and has struggled since on soft and heavy. Return to better ground helps him, but Keogie has already beaten him and carries an obvious form edge. County Carlow at 6/5 is too short to oppose with any conviction; Keogie at 4/1 is the value in the race.

3:58 — Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies Handicap (1m2½f)

Selection: Yulia — 3/1 Bet365, William Hill and Coral

The feature race of the day, and the form around the selection is compelling rather than simply market-driven. Yulia is trained by Joseph Patrick O'Brien, who has won three of the last five renewals of this very race, all with imports making their seasonal or stable debut. This filly was bought for 190,000 euros after two wins in France on soft and AW. She has a tongue-tie added today, which is a positive signal, and has proven ability at 1m7f, so the extra half-furlong stretch at 1m2½f poses no stamina question whatsoever.

The one caveat is that she has never raced over less than 1m4f in public. But O'Brien's record in this precise race with this precise profile is not coincidence, it is a repeating pattern. The yard's 14-day stats (11 wins from 54 runners) confirm horses are leaving the yard ready to run. Good ground should not inconvenience a filly who won on AW and has shown enough pace at home to be brought to this trip. J M Sheridan takes the ride.

Narlita has been excellent this spring with two good Curragh runs, but she wants it softer than good and her yard is 0 from 5 in the last 14 days. Lady Mairen has class from a couple of years ago and connections you respect, but a disappointing return at Bellewstown and a trainer admitting horses are behind schedule this year makes her hard to trust at 9/2. Thrifty Of Digby at 12/1 is a longer-range each-way alternative if you want coverage, with a win over just short of this trip at Roscommon last year and a 7lb claimer now engaged.

Today's NAP