Stratford, Sunday 17th May 2026: Tips & Selections

Stratford, Sunday 17th May 2026: Tips & Selections

Good to firm ground at Stratford on a quiet Sunday card, but there are angles worth exploiting across three featured races. The going suits a handful of these runners nicely, and one trainer’s recent form figures deserve serious attention. Small fields keep each-way options limited, so we’re largely talking win bets today.

2:35 — Racing Welfare Supporting Mental Health Awareness Novices’ Hurdle (2m6f)

Seven runners, two serious contenders, one obvious favourite. Our Guide is 2/5 across the board and Jamie Snowden’s yard is ticking over at 5/19 in the last 14 days, which is a perfectly respectable clip. The horse has the form to win this, but at 2/5 in a novice hurdle there’s no value in following him in.

The angle here is Ka Mate Du Brivet (James Bowen, 15/8 Betfred/LiveScore Bet). The Irish point winner showed enough when second at Fontwell in March, making a fairly useful rival work harder than expected over 2m5f on good ground. That form translates well to today’s conditions. Warren Greatrex’s yard is only 1/13 in the last 14 days, which is a red flag, but this horse has the profile to outrun that stable form. The step up from Fontwell’s quirky 2m5f to this 2m6f trip looks like a positive, not a question mark. He is held by Our Guide on a straight reading of the form, but the market is making this a near-two-horse race at prices that reward backing the second string.

If Our Guide jumps cleanly and travels, he wins. But at 15/8, Ka Mate Du Brivet represents genuine interest in a race where the favourite is almost unbackable.

Selection: Ka Mate Du Brivet, 15/8 (Betfred/LiveScore Bet)

3:05 — Happy 32nd Birthday Lottie Novices’ Handicap Chase (2m1f)

Seven declared, one non-runner, so six go to post over the minimum trip. Good to firm ground is the key filter here.

Whatyouwaitingfor (Lilly Pinchin, 5/1 Boyle Sports/Betfred) is the pick. The spotlight note says it all: he ran well at Chepstow on good to soft last month before weakening, and the forecast drier ground here is specifically flagged as likely to suit him better. Charlie Longsdon’s yard is modestly 1/7 in the last 14 days, but this horse shaped with promise on his chase debut and the handicapper hasn’t had a chance to react properly yet. The 5yo profile over fences fits this trip.

Intenzo (Charlie Maggs, 11/2 Boyle Sports/Betfred) is the main danger. The Sedgefield form has been boosted by the winner since, which is meaningful, but the free-going tendencies and two poor recent runs are enough to make Whatyouwaitingfor the sounder each-way call at a bigger price.

Captain Cool and Cawthorne Cracker share the market at 9/4 each. Cawthorne Cracker is 0-5 over fences despite a course win over hurdles here, and that stat is hard to ignore. Captain Cool’s form figures show consistency without a win when it mattered.

Selection: Whatyouwaitingfor, 5/1 (Boyle Sports/Betfred)

5:05 — Ladies Day On Sunday 19th July Handicap Chase (2m6½f)

Eight declared, one non-runner (Diplomatic Ash), so seven go to post. This is the most competitive race on the card and the most interesting from a value perspective.

Okavango Delta Each-Way (Sean Bowen, 6/1 Boyle Sports/Betfred) is the selection. The spotlight entry here is encouraging: returned from a long absence with a creditable second at Musselburgh on good to soft in November, won when fresh last spring, and connections have made the trip from Northumberland to run him today. Sean Bowen is booked. That combination of a yard that wins with its horse fresh, a jockey booking that suggests confidence, and a mark that could be exploitable makes this a genuine each-way interest at 6/1.

The 10yo tag will put some punters off, but he stays well beyond today’s 2m6½f trip and the going is no problem. The absence since December is the only real question, and the trainer’s record fresh answers it positively.

King Roly (5/2) has obvious claims and the form at Perth was better than it looks given the incident at the last, but you’re taking a short price on a horse coming back from a break with an 18-length gap on the card. Tapley at 11/4 is the most likely winner on recent form but the odds are thin for a handicap chase.

Selection: Okavango Delta, 6/1 (Boyle Sports/Betfred) — Each-Way

Today’s NAP