Southwell (AW) Tips: Thursday 6 August 2026

Southwell (AW) Tips: Thursday 6 August 2026

Southwell’s Fibresand is one of the most specialist surfaces in Britain and knowing who thrives here is half the battle. Standard going suits front-runners and horses with proven all-weather form, and today’s card has a handful of angles worth taking seriously. Roger Varian leads the trainer stats at the track with a 26% strike rate, but the headline number today is his runner Ultrasoul, who arrives in the feature handicap on the back of a hat-trick. George Boughey’s yard is also in decent nick across the card, and Ollie Sangster’s Southwell figures (19% wins, A/E of 1.14, the strongest on the list) flag Court Of Stars as a watch at a big price. Three races stand out. Here are the selections.

8:26 — Free Tips On attheraces.com Handicap Stakes (1m3f, 13 runners)

Selection: Ultrasoul (7/2, Boyle Sports / Betfred / LiveScore Bet)

Three wins on the bounce is a form line that demands respect in any handicap, and the trainer stat cements the case. Roger Varian has hit 26% winners at Southwell over the long term, and his yard has fired in 12 winners from 29 runners in the last 14 days alone, a 41% clip that signals a stable in full flow. Ultrasoul has already shown he handles today’s trip and standard going, so the fitness question raised by 54 days off the track is the only genuine concern. That is a legitimate query, but Varian is not in the habit of running horses cold into a race this competitive without confidence they are ready. Drawn in stall 12 off a mark of 127 lb, he carries the lightest realistic weight in the top tier of this field. C Y Ho takes the ride.

At 7/2 he is clearly the market leader, but this is a 13-runner handicap on a specialist surface and three-timers are rare enough that the price still represents fair value rather than an over-lay. The danger is El Burhan for George Boughey, who is also in excellent form with seven winners from 28 in the last fortnight, but 90 days off is a bigger absence to overcome. Ultrasoul is the bet.

6:41 — EBF Restricted Novice Stakes (1m, 8 runners)

Selection: Bullrider (6/4, Boyle Sports / Betfred / LiveScore Bet)

George Boughey’s juvenile arrives with two runs under his belt, a third and a second, which is solid novice form for a mile on the all-weather. Jack Callan rides, and he sits 16th at Southwell with a respectable 16% strike rate at the track. The yard’s current form is the key hook: seven from 28 in the last fortnight is outstanding, and Boughey has a habit of placing his juveniles well on the all-weather when they have a run or two in the bank.

Baarberini (2/1) ran third on debut and is respected, but James Horton has drawn a blank in 12 runners over the past fortnight. Quest For Glory at 6/1 is an interesting alternative at the each-way price with two runs suggesting improvement, but Bullrider’s combination of placed form, in-form yard, and course-capable jockey makes him the logical selection at a workable price.

6:06 — Simon Davis Big 60th Birthday Bash Fillies’ Handicap Stakes (1m, 11 runners)

Selection: Kiss Me My Love Each-Way (5/1, Boyle Sports / Betfred | 9/2 LiveScore Bet)

Fresh from a win eight days ago, Kiss Me My Love arrives with proven form over today’s trip and conditions. Her recent form reads 219301, which means two wins and a third in her last six starts. A filly in that kind of form, carrying 137 lb in an 11-runner handicap, represents live each-way value at 5/1. Joanna Mason takes the ride for Roger Fell, whose yard has sent out two winners from 16 in the past fortnight.

The concern is that one unplaced run in the sequence, but form figures of 1 on the last start and 3 the start before that is not a horse who has gone stale. Zarinca is respected on ratings and Edward Bethell’s yard is in decent shape (six winners from 27), but a fourth and a fifth in her last two outings suggest the winning form of four starts back is not yet fully recaptured. At 5/1 with three places paid at 1/5 odds, Kiss Me My Love offers genuine each-way appeal.

Today’s NAP

Ultrasoul — Free Tips On attheraces.com Handicap Stakes (8:26, Southwell AW)
Odds: 7/2 — Boyle Sports (others: 7/2 Betfred, 7/2 LiveScore Bet)

Three consecutive wins, a yard operating at a scorching 41% in the last fortnight, and a trainer who leads the all-time Southwell stats at 26%. Ultrasoul has already proven himself over this trip and going, and Roger Varian rarely sends a horse back from a break without it being ready to run. In a 13-runner handicap where every rival carries at least one significant doubt, this is the standout bet of the day.