Tramore, Sunday 17 August 2026: Tips and Analysis

Tramore, Sunday 17 August 2026: Tips and Analysis

Tramore on good ground is a track that rewards honest, staying types and punishes those who come here short of a run. With the York Ebor Festival opening in two days, some yards will be keeping their powder dry for the big northern meeting, which makes reading trainer intent here all the more important. Willie Mullins runs two in the mares’ beginners’ chase and his yard is absolutely firing right now at 34% over the past fortnight. That number does not lie. Three races stand out for punters, and there is genuine each-way value to be found in the handicap.

1:45 — Tramore Directors Maiden Hurdle (2m½f)

Selection: Speed For Fun — Evens (Boyle Sports, Betfred, LiveScore Bet)

Mullins at evens is not everyone’s idea of value, but the angle here is straightforward. Speed For Fun has run just twice, posting a second and then a fall, which means his form line reads considerably better than it looks on paper. That fall wipes his last start from any meaningful form comparison, yet the handicapper and market both know he showed ability. Brian Hayes is a reliable booking, Mullins is in the form of his life at 34% in the past fortnight, and this short field of ten means even at evens, there is no dead weight of draw or field to navigate around him.

Ballybollen at 7/2 with De Bromhead is the obvious danger. One run, a fourth, does not tell you a great deal, but De Bromhead’s yard is ticking over at 16% at this course and Darragh O’Keeffe knows every blade of grass at Tramore. The price is fair, but Speed For Fun commands more respect. Captain Hanley at 9/1 with Danny Mullins up has shown pieces of form including a second and a fourth and is worth noting for the forecast if you fancy a saver.

Tip: Speed For Fun — Evens

3:30 — Victoria House Tramore Mares Beginners Steeplechase (2m6f)

Selection: Future Prospect — 11/8 (Boyle Sports, Betfred)

Mullins runs two here and both are live, but Future Prospect gets the nod on the basis that two consecutive second-place finishes put her in better recent rhythm than La Note Verte’s pair of thirds. That said, this is a genuinely tight call and the each-way market with 3 places at 1/5 means both Mullins runners can comfortably be played in a reverse forecast for the adventurous punter.

Future Prospect with Danny Mullins aboard is the yard’s number one booking, and that matters. When Willie Mullins sends two to a track and puts Danny Mullins on one of them, you follow the jockey. La Note Verte at 15/8 with J.J. Slevin is not a bad consolation bet, and Slevin himself is an elite rider who does not take throwaway bookings. Carry On Heidi at 15/2 has been remarkably consistent at placing, with three thirds from her last five, but 157 days off the track without a win on the board makes her hard to trust at that price.

Miss Fourie has 323 days off her back. That is not a fitness concern, that is a full year away from racing. Leave her alone regardless of the Elliott yard’s course record.

Tip: Future Prospect — 11/8

4:05 — McCarthy’s Irish Bar Lexington Handicap Steeplechase (2m6f, 10 runners)

Selection: Nastya — 4/1 (Boyle Sports, Betfred, LiveScore Bet)

Each-Way Selection: Watch The Weather Each-Way — 11/2 (Boyle Sports, Betfred)

Ten runners, 3 places, good ground, a staying handicap chase. This is a race built for each-way punters, and the handicap data gives you two solid angles at opposite ends of the price range.

Nastya at 4/1 is the bet to win. Henry De Bromhead’s mare has won twice in her last five starts, including a victory two runs back, and the trainer is operating at 15% at Tramore. Darragh O’Keeffe is aboard again, which tells you De Bromhead is treating this as a serious assignment. The pulled-up run last time is the flag you have to address, but mares can be enigmatic, conditions suit on good ground, and at 4/1 she is the most straightforward price in the race. A 25-day freshener since that P run is perfectly standard for a yard that often bounces horses back in good form after a disappointing effort.

Watch The Weather at 11/2 is the each-way play. R.P. Cody’s gelding was third last time out, has form over today’s trip and going, and arrives on a quick turnaround which suggests the yard thinks conditions are ideal right now. Cody holds a 16% strike rate at Tramore and an A/E of 0.99, meaning his runners run to their price on average. At 11/2 with three places on offer at 1/5 odds, you are getting back your stake and a healthy return if he runs into a place, which his third last time out says he is fully capable of doing.

Intense Approach is top-rated on 129 but winless in five and carries 168lbs. Ratings advantage counts for nothing if the horse has forgotten how to win. A Snow White Park unseated last time and is ranked ninth in the field. Both are avoidable.

Tip: Nastya each-way at 4/1, Watch The Weather each-way at 11/2

Today’s NAP

Future Prospect — Victoria House Tramore Mares Beginners Steeplechase (3:30, Tramore)
Odds: 11/8 — Boyle Sports (others: 11/8 Betfred, 5/4 LiveScore Bet)

Willie Mullins at 34% over the past fortnight, Danny Mullins in the saddle, and two consecutive placed runs in good form on going that suits. Future Prospect is knocking firmly on the door and this looks the right race for her to break through. The jockey booking over stablemate La Note Verte is the decisive factor, and at 11/8 there is still a fraction of value given the trainer’s extraordinary current form.