Southwell Tips: Monday 11th May 2026

Southwell Tips: Monday 11th May 2026

A seven-race card at Southwell on good ground, and while this is no festival card, there are angles worth digging into across three featured races. The Olly Murphy yard has been quiet in the last fortnight (1/9), so lean on that data carefully. Dan Skelton looks the yard in better nick at 10/30, and Jamie Snowden’s 3/12 suggests horses leaving that operation with a chance. Good ground suits galloping types and penalises horses who need cut, so factor that throughout.

5:17 — Conferences And Events At Southwell Racecourse Maiden Hurdle (2m, Good)

Selection: Louis Veron (5/6, Betfred / Boyle Sports)

Dan Skelton at 10/30 in the last 14 days tells you the yard is ticking over nicely, and Harry Skelton in the saddle is as reliable a combination as jump racing offers. Louis Veron cost £72,000 as a three-year-old and that price tag rarely lies at this level. His debut hurdle run at Chepstow on good to soft went close in a 2m novice, and crucially the form around him has franked well through the first and third horses. Good ground today is no concern given his Flat pedigree.

King’s Scholar for Murphy warrants respect at 11/4 and the tongue-tie addition is a positive, but Olly Murphy’s yard is 1/9 over the past fortnight and that’s a cold strike-rate. Sense Of Reason at 5/1 has decent hurdle form and chased home a Murphy hotpot last time, so he’s not without a shout, but the Skelton operation is simply in better shape right now. Louis Veron is the play at odds-on, minimal risk in a small field.

3:12 — Book The Bistro At Southwell Racecourse Novices’ Handicap Chase (2m4½f, Good)

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

Five runners and a tricky novice chase to unpick. Seaview Rock is the 15/8 market leader with Sean Bowen aboard, but Murphy’s 1/9 yard form makes that price uncomfortable for anyone who studies trainer data. Kara Sacre is 9/4 with Venetia Williams (1/4 last 14 days, too small a sample to read much into), but the F in recent form is a flag you cannot ignore in a chase.

Dunkerque at 7/2 with Sean Quinlan is the angle. Jennie Candlish has sent out 3 winners from 25 runners in the last fortnight, the yard is firing in spells, and the form line of 55291 shows a horse that has found winning form recently. The progression to a 1 finish suggests he arrives here with confidence, and 2m4½f on good ground looks a fair test for him. At 7/2 in a five-runner contest, this is the value ticket.

5:47 — Family Fun Day Monday 31st August Handicap Hurdle (2m4½f, Good)

Selection: Eternity Rose Each-Way (6/1, Boyle Sports / Betfred / LiveScore Bet)

Eleven runners, a proper handicap hurdle, and the each-way case here is genuine at 6/1 with three places on offer. Prairie Diamond is the obvious talking horse after a 13lb hike following a career-best Wincanton win, and the handicapper has made life very hard for Martin Keighley’s gelding. Duffry Trixs at 11/4 ran a clear second at Fontwell and is thereabouts, but that price is short for a 11-runner handicap where things can go wrong.

Eternity Rose is the angle. Lightly raced at five years old, his third in a 1m7f maiden at Wincanton on good ground was a step forward, and the form from that race has strengthened since. Critically, this longer 2m4½f trip looks tailored to his breeding, and being on a potentially lenient mark in a first handicap hurdle start is exactly the profile you want. Fergal O’Brien’s yard is quiet (1/20) but Liam Harrison is a capable partner and the horse, not the trainer trend, is what matters here. At 6/1 each-way, this is the best value on the card.

Havefunontherun is worth a mention at 10/1 given the C&D form last November and the tongue-tie addition, but the layoff and step up in trip from that point makes Eternity Rose the cleaner profile.

Today’s NAP