Windsor Evening Tips: Saturday 23 May 2026

Windsor Evening Tips: Saturday 23 May 2026

A warm Saturday evening at Windsor under partly cloudy skies, with the ground riding Good to Firm throughout. Three races to focus on tonight, and the going suits horses that want quick ground underfoot. With the Canadian Grand Prix kicking off in Montreal tomorrow, there are worse ways to spend your Saturday than a few quid on the Windsor card before the racing world shifts to Montreal for the weekend.

Richard Hughes has his yard in decent nick at 5/26 over the last fortnight, and William Haggas continues to fire at 12/54. Eve Johnson Houghton is also ticking over nicely at 5/28. Keep those names in mind as we work through the card.

7:00 — Bodhi Solutions Constructing Champions Handicap (6f, Good To Firm)

Sixteen runners, 5 places paid, and a race that looks wide open. The market anchor is Marengo Storm at 10/3, but the angle that interests me most sits a little further down the card.

Selection: Up The Agenda Each-Way at 11/1 (Boyle Sports, Betfred)

Jack Morland’s three-year-old has been progressive on the all-weather throughout winter, winning three handicaps including a late-on success at Kempton in January over 6f. The key line in his profile is “unexposed on turf.” This horse has barely been tested on grass and drops into a competitive but not unbeatable 16-runner handicap on a track that rewards horses who travel smoothly through their race. Good to Firm at Windsor over six furlongs is a fair enough test and there is no evidence he won’t handle it. Coming back from a break can catch some horses cold, but his trainer has shown the patience to place horses well and 11/1 in a field that includes several horses with question marks still to answer is a price that deserves respect.

Marengo Storm brings strong form: the runner-up from his Kempton win scored next time out, which is a solid form line. But this is his first go on turf, and at 10/3 you are paying for upside that has not yet been proven on grass. If he handles the switch, he wins. If he doesn’t, you have given away a fair chunk of value. Richard Hughes is running well but I will take the 11/1 about Up The Agenda as the more measured bet here.

Akabusi is another live contender at 15/2. Three trainers in, but he won at Newmarket last Friday at 6f on Good ground and the profile is not dissimilar to what we need tonight. The problem is he does so off a career-high mark and that demands another step forward immediately. Worth noting if you want a saver.

8:00 — Bodhi Solutions Facilities Management Front Runner Fillies’ Handicap (1m, Good To Firm)

Nine runners, only 3 places paid, so each-way punters need to be selective. This race has a clear form pick at the head of the market and a genuine value alternative sitting just below it.

Selection: Proposal at 9/4 (Boyle Sports, Betfred, LiveScore Bet)

William Haggas is the name you back when a horse arrives on handicap debut for the first time and the yard is in form. Proposal won a Doncaster maiden over 7f on Good to Firm last month, doing it the hard way and knuckling down when it mattered. The pedigree points firmly towards this mile trip and beyond. Haggas is 12/54 over the last fortnight and his team routinely arrive at handicap debuts with horses ready to go. Clerk of the course prices, strong connections, 9/4 in a nine-runner field. This is the most straightforward win bet on the card.

The main threat is Valkyrie Storm at 7/2, who has won two on the spin including a cosy one at Nottingham a fortnight ago. She is up 4lb for that but is clearly progressive and Eve Johnson Houghton’s yard is in great nick. If Proposal disappoints, Valkyrie Storm is the beneficiary. Lady Dora Mae at 4/1 for George Boughey is also respected, she showed plenty when second at Musselburgh on only her second turf start and the form of her Kempton handicap win reads well.

I am sticking with Proposal as the win pick. The Haggas angle on handicap debuts over a mile at Good to Firm is a pattern worth following.

4:57 — Trev’s Final Furlong Handicap (6f, Good To Firm)

Sixteen runners, 3 places at 1/4 odds. A wide-open sprint handicap where course knowledge and fresh legs matter.

Selection: Monsieur Patat Each-Way at 6/1 (Betfred)

The course-and-distance angle here is hard to ignore. Monsieur Patat won this exact race last year with Finley Marsh in the saddle, and Finley Marsh is back in the saddle tonight. He is currently 3/6 over the course and distance and a pleasing comeback third on the all-weather over 7f has given him a prep run before returning to the scene of last year’s win. He is 4lb higher than when he won the race in 2025, but Adrian Wintle’s yard has been active at 2/16 over the last fortnight and the horse clearly has an affinity for the Windsor straight. Returning champion in a big-field sprint with the same pilot? At 6/1, that is exactly the kind of repeatable angle that rewards each-way punters.

Distant Rumble is a C&D winner himself and finished a clear second on his turf return nine days ago. Jack Callan claims 3lb and takes the weight down to a workable mark. He has to go in the shortlist at SP. Insuspense has been placed a remarkable six times in a row without winning, which tells you she will run her race but also tells you exactly what she is. Good for a place, difficult to trust for a win.

Today’s NAP