Thirsk, Friday 24 July 2026 — Tips & Selections

Thirsk, Friday 24 July 2026 — Tips & Selections

Good ground at Thirsk on a warm July Friday, and the card throws up three races worth dissecting properly. The course stats here are genuinely useful context: William Haggas runs at 26% from 200 attempts, Ed Walker at 24%, and jockey George Downing’s A/E of 2.33 from 16 rides is one of the most striking numbers on the sheet. Keep those in mind as you read through. With Glorious Goodwood kicking off next Tuesday, plenty of yards are using this week to get handy types placed before the big guns head south, so there is more intent in these fields than the race values suggest.

2:00 — Sky Bet Go-Racing-In-Yorkshire Summer Festival EBF Fillies’ Novice Stakes (7f, Good)

Seven juvenile fillies, most of them lightly raced or debut runners, over seven furlongs on good ground. The market has made Diamond New Bay an odds-on favourite under Clifford Lee for K. R. Burke, who has posted 10 winners from 34 runners over the last 14 days. That is a yard in decent nick. But 4/6 is a skinny price about an unraced filly, and the each-way terms here only pay two places at a quarter the odds, which kills the appeal of backing her wide.

The one I want is Isabella De Vega Each-Way at 13/2 (Boyle Sports) for Ed Walker. Walker runs at 24% at Thirsk with a positive A/E of 1.08, meaning his runners here have outperformed their market expectation. George Downing is in the plate, and that jockey’s Thirsk A/E of 2.33 from 16 rides is genuinely exceptional. Put an informed trainer with a course-specialist jockey together on a debutante at 13/2 in a wide-open seven-runner novice, and you have a live each-way proposition. The fact she is unraced means the market cannot properly price her, and Walker does not come to Thirsk without a plan.

Little Lady Karen (10/3 Boyle Sports) ran a solid 3-2 sequence for Burke and makes obvious appeal as a second string to the yard, but the price is short enough that the each-way terms at just two places make her awkward to get involved with.

Selection: Isabella De Vega each-way, 13/2 Boyle Sports

2:30 — Sky Bet For The Fans EBF Novice Stakes (6f, Good)

Nine runners over six furlongs, and Blessed Voyager is the warm favourite at 4/5 for Ralph Beckett, who has fired in 12 winners from 43 runners in the last fortnight. Rossa Ryan, who wins 28% of his Thirsk rides and carries an A/E of 1.15 at the course, takes the ride. The horse won last time out and the combination of a hot trainer, the course’s best jockey by win percentage, and a course that will suit a forward-going type makes this hard to oppose.

At 4/5 it is not a value tip in the traditional sense, but Blessed Voyager looks to be carrying genuine quality into a race where the opposition is patchy. Statten Island (3/1 Boyle Sports) has shown 44 form and ran twice without winning, while Blakey Ridge (10/3 Boyle Sports) was third on debut. Neither screams improvement horse.

This is a race to take the favourite at face value rather than hunt exotica. Back Blessed Voyager to win and move on.

Selection: Blessed Voyager to win, 4/5 Boyle Sports

3:40 — Graham Lee Injured Jockeys’ Fund Handicap Stakes (1m6f, Good)

Five runners over a mile and six furlongs, and there is a proper puzzle here. Tupero is the 6/4 favourite despite a 54-day absence and bottoming out in the speed figures. The form reads well on the surface (124211) but that middling figure on our measures is a genuine flag, and a near two-month break at the top of the market deserves scrutiny.

The comment data points clearly toward two horses: Gaelic Approach, who tops the figures and has the trip and going experience, and Gibside, who owns the fastest raw figure of the five and gets the expert vote. On balance, Gibside Each-Way at 5/1 (LiveScore Bet) is where the interest lies. He has already run over 1m6f on good ground, the third-place effort two runs back stands up as the best recent piece of form in this field, and the Spotlight analysis puts him top of the speed figures. Tim Easterby has 8 winners from 68 runners over the last 14 days, a busy yard that keeps horses fresh, and a 27-day turnaround is no concern for a seasoned seven-year-old who knows his job.

The main risk is the patchy placing record and the fact Gaelic Approach tops our figures overall, but at 5/1 versus 15/8 the price differential more than compensates. Gaelic Approach was only sixth last time and Charlie Johnston has had a lean recent spell at 3 from 54 runners. Twilight Safari also warrants each-way respect at 9/2 on the back of the comment noting he rates higher than his official mark, but Gibside at the bigger price is the call.

Selection: Gibside each-way, 5/1 LiveScore Bet

Today’s NAP

Gibside — Graham Lee Injured Jockeys’ Fund Handicap Stakes (3:40, Thirsk)
Odds: 5/1 — LiveScore Bet (others: 3/1 Boyle Sports)

Gibside holds the fastest speed figure in a five-runner field, has the trip and going already in the book, and the Spotlight analysis backs him as the selection despite a patchy win record. At 5/1 versus the 6/4 jolly who bottoms out on our figures and returns from a 54-day break, this is where the value sits. Tim Easterby keeps a busy yard and a 27-day turnaround is ideal for a seven-year-old handicapper in form.

Each-Way Recommended 2 places at 1/4 odds