Stratford, Sunday 19 July 2026 — Good To Firm Tips

Stratford, Sunday 19 July 2026 — Good To Firm Tips

A quiet Sunday card at Stratford but there are angles worth digging into across three featured races. The going is Good To Firm, which will suit horses with a clean bill of health and proven form on quick ground. With Glorious Goodwood just over a week away, plenty of trainers are keeping their better horses fresh for the festival, so sharp form reading matters more than usual on a card like this. Let’s get into it.

1:45 — Sharon Pardy 60th Birthday Celebration Novices’ Hurdle

This is a Dan Skelton double-handed puzzle. He runs both Loriko (9/4) and Edelak (5/4) and with the yard going 6/21 over the last fortnight, the stable is clearly in form. The question is which one to follow.

Obsessedwithyou at 11/8 with Boyle Sports is the selection here. Gavin Sheehan takes the ride for Jamie Snowden, who has returned 2/9 in the past 14 days, a solid enough strike rate. The mare’s form reads 121-21, which is excellent: two wins and two placed efforts in her last five starts. She was second last time out, so the winning itch is very much still there, and the form profile shows real consistency at this level.

Skelton’s pair will dominate the market but splitting them is a lottery, and Obsessedwithyou offers a cleaner angle: in-form trainer, reliable jockey, and a proven record at this trip. At 11/8, the price is fair without being generous, but the form makes her the most trustworthy runner in a five-horse field.

2:15 — George & Dragon Novices’ Handicap Steeple Chase

Whatyouwaitingfor (11/8, Boyle Sports/Betfred) is the standout. Gavin Sheehan picks up the ride, and his 17% strike rate at Stratford is backed by solid recent course form. The horse’s record of 223-32 tells you everything: consistent, placed repeatedly, and clearly running well at this level without quite getting his head in front. That can change, and a 2m3½f novice handicap on Good To Firm is the right conditions to find out.

Charlie Longsdon’s yard has gone 0/3 in the last 14 days, which is the one flag to note. But the horse’s own form is stronger than the trainer’s recent numbers, and Sheehan’s course record adds genuine confidence.

The Long Walk is a wobble on paper with that 3P82-9 sequence, and Duel Au Soleil (Ben Pauling 0/3 in 14 days) carries trainer concerns of his own. Mary has placed form but the fall in her record (45-2F3) raises fitness questions over fences at Good To Firm.

Whatyouwaitingfor at 11/8 is the clearest each-way route, but with only five runners and two places, the win position is the one to target here.

3:58 — Silver Fox Classic Handicap Steeple Chase

Captain Cool is the selection at 6/4 (Boyle Sports/LiveScore Bet). The six-year-old for Jennie Candlish won last time out and the form string of -11221 is as consistent as you will find on this card. Two wins, two seconds, and back in the winner’s enclosure last time out. Luke Scott picks up the ride, and that is a major positive: the conditional holds a 27% win rate at Stratford with an A/E of 1.80, comfortably the best jockey course figure in the data today.

He has run over today’s distance and going before, so there are no question marks about conditions. The 19-day turnaround is quick but not concerning given how well he shaped last time.

In The Air (9/4) is the obvious market rival, and he also won last time out, but that seventh three starts back is the query the comment flags, and Alastair Ralph has gone 1/3 in recent days. Candlish’s 2/18 fortnight record is modest but Captain Cool himself is in the form of his life, and Scott’s Stratford record tilts the scales.

Breaking Cover appeals each-way at 9/2. Anthony Honeyball has gone 2/2 in the last 14 days, the best trainer form on the card, and Sam Twiston-Davies brings experience. But with only five runners and two places, the value is thinner than the odds suggest.

Captain Cool at 6/4 is the win selection.

Today’s NAP

Captain Cool — Silver Fox Classic Handicap Steeple Chase (3:58, Stratford)
Odds: 6/4 — Boyle Sports (others: 13/8 Betfred, 6/4 LiveScore Bet)

Five consecutive placed efforts culminating in a win last time out: the form is unambiguous. Luke Scott’s 27% Stratford strike rate with an A/E of 1.80 is the single best jockey course angle on the card today, and the horse handles today’s trip and Good To Firm going without concern. Jennie Candlish’s yard may not be flying over the past fortnight, but when the horse is in this kind of nick, trainer stats become secondary. This is the banker of the day.