Wexford, Saturday 8 August 2026 — Tips & Selections

Wexford, Saturday 8 August 2026 — Tips & Selections

A seven-race card at Wexford on good ground gives punters plenty to chew on before the York Ebor Festival rolls around in ten days. The going suits horses with a clean jumping record, and on a day like this you want proven course form and yards that are actually sending horses out ready to run. Willie Mullins is firing at 26% from his last 62 runners and Andrew Slattery’s A/E of 1.17 at this track means he merits close attention. Let’s get into it.

3:25 — Wexford Racecourse Park Run Beginners Steeplechase (2m3f)

Selection: Nadia’s Boy (4/6, Boyle Sports / Betfred)

This is a beginner’s chase that Nadia’s Boy should win without needing to find his absolute top. Two wins in four starts, a third last time out to keep the eye in, and he has course-and-distance form on good ground to tick every box. Paul Townend takes the ride, a man who wins 24% of his races at this track, and behind him sits a Mullins yard running at 26% in the last 14 days with 16 winners from 62 runners. That combination of form, going, trainer, and jockey is about as stacked as it gets at a mid-week summer card.

Scalpnagoon at 11/2 is interesting on ratings and has been placed repeatedly, but Gordon Elliott’s yard has sent out just one winner from 43 recent runners and that stat is too ugly to ignore. William Tell at 3/1 has claims on a good day but has yet to win and carries the same weight. Nadia’s Boy at 4/6 is short, but it’s a legitimate price for a horse that genuinely ought to win this race.

4:35 — Poolcourt Engineering Handicap Steeplechase (3m1f)

Selection: Ceroc Each-Way (11/4, Boyle Sports / Betfred)

This is a tricky seven-runner handicap where the market favourite, Rockonliam, arrives on the back of two wins but is ranked sixth of seven by our figures and has to lump 162lbs. That weight burden at 5/4 is not something to be paying a short price about.

Ceroc is the call. Andrew Slattery’s yard holds an A/E of 1.17 at Wexford, comfortably the best strike rate relative to expectation among the trainers represented here. Ceroc won last time out, has been over today’s trip and going before, and comes in at a relatively workable 152lbs at the bottom of the weights. Yes, the pulled-up run two starts back is a flag, but a return to form last time out suggests that episode is behind him. Phillip Enright gets the ride and at 11/4 this represents the value in the race.

Rue Taylor at 5/1 is respected. Won last time, handles the conditions, and Eoin Staples has a solid 17% strike rate at Wexford with an A/E above 1.0. She is the main danger. Jacovec Cavern Each-Way at 11/1 also holds each-way claims given his mark and his ability over this course and distance before the latest pull-up.

5:05 — BOYLE Sports Handicap Steeplechase (1m7½f)

Selection: Ballybrittas (3/1, Boyle Sports / Betfred)

Won last time out, returns on a 17-day turnaround which at this level in Irish handicap chasing suggests the yard is happy with how he’s come out of that race, and he has form over today’s trip and going. At 3/1 he is the market leader for a reason.

The concern is P J Rothwell has drawn a blank from 18 recent runners, and that is a stat that deserves respect. But the horse’s form is working in his favour here, the weight of 156lbs is manageable in this company, and at a track where in-form horses coming off a recent win tend to go well, he stands out as the most credible win candidate.

Bynx at 6/1 is worth a small each-way interest. Two wins in recent form, returns off 32 days’ rest with distance and going experience, and the yard is not out of form in a broader sense. The last two runs disappoint but the winning profile is genuine at this level. Lady Doyanne at 5/2 is consistently placed but still winless in five, and backing De Bromhead’s horse with an A/E of 0.84 at this track and a 156lb carry feels like you’re paying for the name rather than the angle.

Solsbury Hill Each-Way at 18/1 catches the eye. Our figures mark him as the pick of the seven and he has form over today’s trip and conditions. The unseat last time is the obvious question, but Conor O’Dwyer’s yard has sent out three winners from four runners in the last 14 days. At 18/1, a small each-way play is entirely justified.

Today’s NAP

Nadia’s Boy — Wexford Racecourse Park Run Beginners Steeplechase (3:25, Wexford)
Odds: 4/6 — Boyle Sports (others: 4/6 Betfred, 8/13 LiveScore Bet)

Two wins in four starts, a third last time to keep sharp, and proven form over today’s trip and going. Paul Townend lands 24% at Wexford, and Mullins is firing at 26% from his last 62 runners. This is a beginners’ chase against a field that includes a 200/1 shot and a trainer with no wins in 25 attempts. Nadia’s Boy should be doing his job here, and in a market this small, 4/6 is the honest price.