Wolverhampton (AW) Tips: Friday 17 July 2026

Wolverhampton (AW) Tips: Friday 17 July 2026

A seven-race card at Dunstall Park on a Friday evening. Wolverhampton’s all-weather surface plays fairly throughout the year, and with Glorious Goodwood less than a fortnight away, a number of trainers will be using this card to sharpen up horses before the big one. John and Thady Gosden lead the course stats here with 25% winners, and they saddle what looks a banker in the 4:28. Three races worth your attention below.

2:13 — Download The At The Races App Fillies’ Restricted Novice Stakes (6f)

Selection: Roosike at 4/1 (Boyle Sports, LiveScore Bet) or 7/2 (Betfred) with Rob Hornby up for Richard Hughes.

Sequel Star is odds-on favourite and has to be respected on debut form, but 11/10 is a cramped price in a novice where anything can happen. Bated Benevolence already has a win on the board and comes in at 7/4 for Marco Botti, whose 14-day strike rate of 3/21 is modest at best right now.

Roosike is the value play. A third last time out suggests she handled the track and level well enough, and Richard Hughes as a trainer runs at 17% winners at Wolverhampton with a healthy sample of 501 runners. That is a trainer who knows this venue. At 4/1 with the field this open, there is a case for siding with Hughes finding improvement in a 2-year-old going the right way. Finley Marsh takes the ride, a capable claimer who has been getting results in this type of company.

3:18 — Free Tips On attheraces.com Maiden Stakes (7f)

Selection: One Of The Boys at 2/1 (Boyle Sports, Betfred) with Finley Marsh.

An 11-runner maiden is rarely straightforward, but the form here points fairly clearly in one direction. One Of The Boys has placed in two starts, finishing second and third, and comes to a 7-furlong Wolverhampton maiden looking like the most exposed and progressive horse in the field. Michael Bell has had a quiet 14 days by numbers, but his overall course record of 18% from 721 runners at this track is the kind of sustained strike rate that commands respect.

Several of these runners have done very little, and the price of 2/1 reflects the market’s view that this is One Of The Boys to lose. The runner-up run in particular suggests he handles a similar pace scenario, and stepping into this field, he looks the standout on merit. Back him to get the job done at a price that still offers something over even money.

Extended Credit at 11/1 for Charles Hills is worth a small each-way interest if you want to go wider, but the bet here is straightforward.

4:28 — Free Race Replays On attheraces.com Handicap Stakes (1m½f)

Selection: Go Rimbaud at 4/6 (Boyle Sports) or 4/7 (Betfred) with Robert Havlin for John and Thady Gosden.

Only four runners, and the race data does a lot of the talking. Go Rimbaud’s figure of 89 sits well clear of his official mark of 82, and that kind of gap is exactly what you look for when assessing whether a horse is well handicapped. He won two starts back, hit the frame twice before that, and the below-par fifth last time came after an 83-day absence. He is fit again now, has prior form at this trip, and John and Thady Gosden are operating at a blistering 7/16 over the last 14 days. That is the yard absolutely firing.

Chapter is the main threat, winning last time out with a figure of 86 and rising. He is not to be dismissed at 10/3 and arrives in form. But Go Rimbaud’s figures, trainer stats, and trip suitability make him the right side of the market. Robert Havlin knows Gosden’s operation inside out. Short price, but this is not a race where you need to go hunting value.

On The Inlet at 4/1 has the back-to-back win form in the book and a figure of 85 above his mark, so if you want to take on the jolly, he is the one to use. But the case for Go Rimbaud is hard to knock down.

Today’s NAP

Go Rimbaud — Free Race Replays On attheraces.com Handicap Stakes (4:28, Wolverhampton)
Odds: 4/6 — Boyle Sports (others: 4/7 Betfred, 5/6 LiveScore Bet)

Gosden’s yard is red-hot right now at 7/16 over the last 14 days, and Go Rimbaud brings a performance figure of 89 to a race where his official mark is just 82. That is a substantial edge in a four-runner handicap. Prior form at this trip, a fit horse, and the most powerful handler at this course all pointing in the same direction. Short, yes, but the angle is clean and the case is solid.