Sligo, Sunday 12 July 2026: Tips & Selections

Sligo, Sunday 12 July 2026: Tips & Selections

A sunny afternoon at Sligo with good to firm ground on all three featured races. This track rewards horses that handle quick ground and trainers who know the idiosyncrasies of a tight, undulating circuit. P G Fahey runs at a 23% strike rate here and his runner today carries that yard’s in-form flag. Alex Harvey is the jockey to keep onside around this track, hitting 22% at a healthy A/E of 1.57. Let’s get into it.

1:10 Durkin Bros. Electrical Maiden Hurdle (2m1½f)

Selection: Manoir De Mirande (evens, Boyle Sports / Betfred)

Gordon Elliott sends out Manoir De Mirande with Jack Kennedy in the saddle and that combination alone commands respect at a track where Kennedy lands 21% of his rides. Elliott’s yard has been in decent shape at 9/56 over the past fortnight, a solid clip for a stable of that size, and this four-year-old has placed in three of his six hurdle starts.

The 323-37 form line reads better than it looks at first glance: three placed runs in a six-race sequence, beaten by horses that went on to frank the form. In a 12-runner maiden with obvious question marks over several rivals, a horse with Kennedy steering and Elliott training deserves favouritism. Whats New at 3/1 appeals as the value alternative if you want to side with Andrew Slattery’s improver, who posted a solid second two starts back, but for a maiden of this nature the market leader has the profile to convert.

Evens is not a price to get carried away at in a 12-runner hurdle, so back it at 3 places for insurance: 3 places at 1/5 odds applies here.

2:15 Racing TV Irish EBF Mares Handicap Hurdle (2m1½f)

Selection: Splashing Out (7/2, Boyle Sports / LiveScore Bet)

Splashing Out has done what most of this field cannot claim: won last time out. The eight-year-old mare is trained by Eoin Griffin, a yard that has gone 0/2 in the past fortnight, which is a mild flag, but the mare’s own profile here is compelling enough to look past that. Her RPR of 115 sits above her official mark of 113, meaning she is operating from a lenient handicap perch, and she already has course and distance form in the book.

A 44-day layoff is the only genuine query, but mares’ handicap hurdles on good to firm ground on a sharp Irish track are not the most gruelling of assignments, and coming here fit and in form from a short break is far from unusual at this level. The field is not without threats: Kenisa Sport has won twice in four recent starts and returns after 290 days, which is the bigger query in my book. Our Lucky Lady is rated below her official mark and faded badly last time out.

At 7/2 on good to firm ground, with a recent win and a lenient mark, Splashing Out represents straightforward value.

2:50 Foley’s Bar Handicap Hurdle (2m1½f, 12 runners)

Selection: Wolf Prince Each-Way (5/1, Boyle Sports / Betfred / LiveScore Bet)

Wolf Prince is ten years old but the figures demand attention. He is rated 17lb clear of his official mark, 137 to 120, and has won twice in his last four starts including a victory last time out. Back-to-back wins for a 10-year-old hurdler might sound like a red flag for the handicapper, but at 5/1 in a 12-runner race paying 4 places at 1/5 odds, this is a comfortable each-way play.

The below-par run three starts back is the only smudge and it sits in the middle of an otherwise sharp sequence. Andrew McNamara’s Tell Us This at 7/2 is the main danger: won two starts back, placed last time, and McNamara runs at a 15% strike rate at Sligo with a positive A/E of 1.13. Bridgehead for Noel Meade is not without a shout either at 5/1, a yard that hits 20% at this track.

But Wolf Prince’s handicap mark is the standout angle in this race. A horse operating 17lb clear of his official rating, in form, in a field of 12 on a flat each-way structure, is precisely the kind of runner this column exists to flag.

Today’s NAP

Splashing Out — Racing TV Irish EBF Mares Handicap Hurdle (2:15, Sligo)
Odds: 7/2 — Boyle Sports (others: 7/2 LiveScore Bet, SP Betfred)

The form angle is clean and simple: won last time out, already proven over course and distance, and her RPR of 115 sits nicely above an official mark of 113. In a mares’ handicap hurdle on quick ground where several rivals carry concerns including a 290-day absence, a recent unseating, and a horse rated well below her mark, Splashing Out stands out as the most straightforward winner on the card. This is the play of the day.