Wexford, Thursday 7 May 2026: Tips and Selections

Wexford, Thursday 7 May 2026: Tips and Selections

A seven-race card at Wexford on Good to Yielding ground, and there are three races worth getting stuck into. The going suits plenty on the card and a couple of these contests throw up some genuinely interesting angles. Ireland's summer jumping season is cranking up nicely, and Wexford is a track that rewards course specialists. Let's get into it.

6:08 Wexford Town Handicap Chase (2m, 10 runners)

Selection: Crowsatedappletart Each-Way at 13/2 with Bet365 or William Hill

The name is a mouthful, but the case for this nine-year-old is straightforward. He won twice at this track last July, which tells you the combination of course and summer ground suits him down to the ground. Good to Yielding at Wexford is exactly what he wants. Michael Kenneally claims 5lb, lightening the load to an effective 152lbs, and a recent spin over hurdles at Limerick means he arrives race-fit while most of his rivals are coming off longer breaks.

Seven wins under rules is the mark of a consistent performer, and his Limerick run sharpens him up nicely for this. At 13/2 in a 10-runner handicap with course form this strong, the each-way terms of three places at 1/5 make this a bet worth having.

Come On The Lads is the market leader and the form is solid enough: won at Limerick in good style and is clearly Gavin Cromwell's first string, but an 8lb rise is significant and handicap penalties have a habit of catching up with horses quickly at this level. Trasna Na Pairce is another with claims if the De Bromhead yard fires to its usual standard, but 11/2 for a horse whose wins have come over further is short enough.

5:02 Wexfordraces.ie Beginners Chase (2m, 12 runners)

Selection: Kilgame at 9/4 with Bet365

Henry De Bromhead's six-year-old was freshened up after a quiet campaign and bounced back with a convincing win in a hot 23-runner maiden hurdle at Navan in March. That form reads well. He shaped with a bit of class on reappearance at Leopardstown, and the Naas flop is easily forgiven given the near-2m3f trip was always going to stretch him. Back to 2m on Good to Yielding, he should be perfectly placed.

Brian Hayes takes the ride, a booking that carries confidence from the yard. In a 12-runner beginners chase with plenty of question marks over jumping ability throughout the field, a horse with a recent win and a competent handler in the saddle carries real appeal at 9/4. No each-way flag here given the price, but he is the clear selection to win.

Mullins runs Did I Ask You That with Paul Townend aboard, which demands respect, but the Spotlight data is damning: wind issues, described as "very risky," and fitness doubts make the market leader look shorter than he should be. Mercury Mission ran a cracker at 80/1 at Clonmel last month and is interesting at 20/1 if you want a saver, but Kilgame is the bet.

6:38 Purple And Gold Beginners Chase (2m7f, 6 runners)

Selection: Hiddenvalley Lake at 4/6 with Bet365 or William Hill

Yes, odds-on. But hear this out. A 154-rated hurdler dropping into a six-runner beginners chase is an event in itself. This horse won a Grade 1 Liverpool Hurdle at Aintree last year. That is the ceiling of his ability, and it is miles above anything else in this field. Keith Donoghue takes over from his Aintree jockey, and Spotlight flags that as an interesting booking, which suggests the stable is confident.

The only query is jumping. He was clumsy on his sole chase start back in December 2023 and he was only fifth at Aintree last month, but he's a class apart on paper and 2m7f on Good to Yielding at Wexford suits his profile well. In a six-runner field where D Art D Art is a 125-rated hurdler returning from a flat campaign and nobody else is rated higher than 121 over hurdles, the favourite should take this comfortably if he respects his fences.

No each-way value at this price in a six-runner field. Win only at 4/6 and keep stakes sensible.

Today's NAP