Yarmouth, Tuesday 21 April 2026 — Good To Firm

Yarmouth, Tuesday 21 April 2026 — Good To Firm

A sunny spring card at Yarmouth with the ground riding Good To Firm throughout. Three races stand out for punters with a sharp eye, and the going is a significant factor in two of them. Horses that want cut in the ground will be found out here. Those with turf form on fast ground, or debutants bred for speed and top-of-the-ground conditions, are the ones to focus on.

2:00 — British Stallion Studs EBF Novice Stakes (6f, Good To Firm)

Six juveniles, most making their debut, line up over six furlongs on ground that will suit speed pedigrees. This is exactly the type of race where you dig into breeding and market moves rather than form lines.

Siouxperb (Archie Watson, Hollie Doyle) is the one that catches the eye. Available at 9/4 with Bet365, this Sioux Nation colt cost 110,000gns as a yearling and the pedigree screams early speed. His full brother Ancestral Land won at two and reached Group-placed level over 6-7f with an RPR of 103. The dam was a 5f two-year-old winner. Archie Watson has saddled four winners in the past fortnight and knows exactly how to place a sharp juvenile. Good to firm is ideal for this type. If he shows anything like the ability his brother did, he wins this with something to spare.

Viking Barbie (Ollie Sangster, Hector Crouch) at 4/1 is the interesting second string. The Starman filly cost 78,000 euros and has a half-sister who won over 5-6f. Sangster has had two winners from eleven runners over the past fortnight, which suggests the yard is ticking along. Watch the market — if she firms up past 3/1, something is going on.

Selection: Siouxperb — 9/4 (Bet365)

2:35 — Sky Sports Racing Fillies' Restricted Novice Stakes (1m3½f, Good To Firm)

With Close To Me a non-runner, we are down to five, and on paper this is a match between the Gosden hotpot and one intriguing newcomer.

Brilliant Star (John and Thady Gosden, Robert Havlin) is the clear market leader at 1/2, and she deserves her favouritism. She shaped with plenty of promise on her debut at Newcastle last November, finishing second of seven over a mile on the all-weather and showing signs of greenness that should iron out with time. The key angle here is the trip upgrade. She is out of an Irish Oaks winner, so staying 1m3f on turf should be well within her compass. The Gosden yard has returned nine winners from 28 runners in the last fortnight. At half the odds, there is no value case for a win-only bet, but she should do the job.

Kenkelly Each-Way (Tom Clover, Jack Mitchell) is the one to side with each-way at 8/1. A 40,000gns yearling making her debut, she is a sister to a 1m2f winner and a half-sister to Ranch Hand, who won at Listed level over distances from 1m3f to 2m and reached an RPR of 109. The dam won over 1m6f and is a half-sister to a Group 2 mile winner. The stamina pedigree is tailor-made for this trip and the Spotlight flags her as an interesting newcomer. Clover's yard is not in red-hot form but this filly's breeding alone justifies each-way interest at 8/1 in a five-runner field with two places paid.

Selection: Brilliant Star to win, Kenkelly each-way — 8/1 (Bet365)

4:55 — AKS Skip Hire Services Handicap (7f, Good To Firm, 12 runners)

A competitive 12-runner handicap over seven furlongs, and with the ground riding fast the going notes are critical. This is a race where course form and ground suitability narrow the field quickly.

Gorgeous Mr George Each-Way (Dylan Cunha, Hector Crouch) is the angle at 17/2 with Bet365. Three-time course winner, two of those over this exact course and distance. He won here as recently as last August off a mark 13lb higher than today. He then filled the runner-up spot over a mile at this track in October off today's mark. Last seen 182 days ago and that absence needs accounting for, but he is proven on fast ground here, back on a mark he has already placed off, and course specialists at Yarmouth are worth following. Cunha's stable has had one winner from twenty runners recently, so the yard is not flying, but the horse's record at this venue does most of the talking.

Grabajabba (Michael Appleby, Robert Havlin) at 5/1 is solid without screaming value. He ran well at Doncaster three weeks ago, finishing second of 16 over 7f on good to soft, and he acts on grass. Appleby has had three winners from 22 runners recently. The worry is that today's faster ground is a step up from what he encountered at Doncaster, but he is competitive at this level.

Miletus is flagged in the Spotlight as being a concern on quicker ground, and his sole win came on soft. Swerve.

Selection: Gorgeous Mr George each-way — 17/2 (Bet365)

Today's NAP