Wetherby, Sunday 26 April 2026 – Flat Tips on Good Ground
Wetherby stages a seven-race card on good ground, and while the track is more commonly associated with jump racing, the flat card here can throw up some solid betting opportunities, particularly in the handicaps. Three races stand out for punters with something to aim at, and there is a clear NAP on the card if you keep it simple.
3:00 — Vertu Mazda York Fillies' Novice Stakes (1m2f)
Selection: Sea The Storm — 4/7 William Hill, 8/13 Bet365, 1.67 Betfair Exchange
This is William Haggas deploying a filly with a form profile that dwarfs anything else in the field. Sea The Storm won a Sandown maiden on debut in September, overcoming clear greenness to score cosily, and then went straight to Baden-Baden for a Group 3 on her second start. She finished second of eight there on soft ground, running on strongly, and that effort puts her form several lengths clear of what is needed here on paper.
The key question is whether Haggas runs Pierian as the stable's main hope or as a market indicator. At 7/2 to 10/3, Pierian is attractively bred but debuts here, while Sea The Storm has already shown the ability. Tom Marquand takes the ride, which is not a negative at all. Good ground on a flat track suits a filly who won on soft, suggesting she is effective on anything. At odds-on this is not a betting race for most, but if you need the selection, Sea The Storm is a near-banker for the card.
Ceinture d'Orion, a 210,000-euro Sea The Stars yearling for David O'Meara, is interesting on debut at 6/1 and could be the each-way option if you want a cut of the race without paying odds-on prices, but the form argument for Sea The Storm is hard to dismiss.
3:35 — Book Tickets Online Handicap (7f)
Selection: Passing Thought Each-Way — 9/2 Bet365, 9/2 PricedUp Bet, 5.9 Betfair Exchange
An 11-runner handicap on good ground at 7f, and this is a race where the each-way market matters. Ed Walker's yard has been ticking over well, five winners from 21 runners in the last 14 days, and Passing Thought arrives with a very interesting profile for this type of contest.
She won a Hamilton maiden over 6f on soft in September, but the form that really catches the eye is her close second at Goodwood over 6f on good ground the month before, a result that reads well in hindsight. She was then stepped into Listed company over 7f on soft and found the ground too testing. The step up to 7f on decent ground here looks ideal, and Kieran Shoemark, a rider who consistently delivers for Walker, picks up the mount.
Hasbro Market at 3/1 and Sanaam at 7/2 are the market leaders and both have credentials, but Passing Thought at 9/2 looks the value in the field given she remains unexposed at this trip and the turf return on a sound surface suits her profile. Back To Me is interesting having followed up twice on the AW, but needs to prove himself on turf and is unknown at this distance for the yard.
4:05 — Constant Security Services Fillies' Handicap (7f)
Selection: Art Gallery — 7/2 Bet365, 7/2 William Hill, 5.3 Betfair Exchange
James Ferguson's filly has improved with every start and the Kempton win four weeks ago was more convincing than the neck margin suggested. She dictated terms and had rivals off the bridle a long way out before idling close home. The handicapper has reacted with a 5lb rise, which brings her to a mark of 86 for this turf debut in a fillies' handicap.
The turf switch is the one question mark, but she is bred to handle decent ground and 7f has been her trip of choice throughout. P J McDonald is a strong booking for the North. Secret History is the market leader at 7/4 and has ability, but it is a handicap debut for the Ed Walker filly with a hood fitted, and there is an element of unknown quantity there. Art Gallery already knows how to win under rules and brings the warmest recent form to the table at a workable price.
Rosa Inglesa at 3/1 is another with a case on a handicap debut, but Art Gallery's proven winning thread and the confidence of a recent victory give her the edge in a race that could go several ways.
Today's NAP
Odds: 7/2 — Bet365 (others: 7/2 William Hill, 5.3 Betfair Exchange)
Four starts, four clear steps of improvement, and a Kempton win last month that was more dominant than the margins show. The handicapper's 5lb rise brings her to a mark she should be able to handle, good ground at Wetherby suits a filly who handles decent surfaces, and P J McDonald has the experience to get her to the line. The turf debut is the only unknown, but at 7/2 against rivals making handicap debuts of their own, this price represents genuine value.