Wednesday 15th April 2026
Following a profitable start to the Craven Meeting for us, our first selection on the second day, on Wednesday, comes within the 3.00, which is the Group 3 Earl Of Sefton Stakes over a mile and a furlong. The progressive four-year-old Damysus will be a warm order at the top of the betting here; however, I’ve taken a chance on BOILING POINT for the team of Karl Burke and Clifford Lee. He’s a very smart horse on his day, as he showed when winning the twenty-three-runner Cambridgeshire Handicap here back in September. He made a pleasing return to the track at Lingfield in February, where he finished fourth in the Group 3 Derby Trial, just a length and a half behind the winner. He should take a big step forward following that run, and I think he’s a player here. He often runs well here and can give another good account of himself in this assignment.
Next up, it’s more Group 3 action at 3.35, this time for the fillies in the Nell Gwyn Stakes, which is run over a distance of seven furlongs. This is extremely competitive for a Group 3 affair, with not much separating the thirteen-runner field. I like the chances of ACT OF KINDNESS, though, who represents the boys in blue of Charlie Appley and William Buick. The yard has already started the meeting well at the time of writing, and this three-year-old Siyouni filly could be another nice one for them. She kept on well to win over course and distance at the second time of asking when she was last seen back in October, and significant progression is likely this term. She’ll need to reverse the form of her debut run with Mubasimah here; however, she’s likely to have progressed markedly since that outing. She’s a big player and has every chance here.
My third selection of the day comes within the 4.45, and this is a Class 2 fillies’ maiden, which is contested over a mile. I’m fairly strong on the chances of SO REGAL in this for the team of John & Thady Gosden, who have acquired the services of Ryan Moore to do the riding, which is always a positive. She was very well supported on her racecourse debut at Chelmsford back in November, where she was sent off the 4/7 favourite. She couldn’t quite reward her backers on that occasion; however, it was still a promising performance, as she was only a neck behind the winner back in third, and arguably should’ve won had she been better positioned. She should naturally take a big step forward here, and with the experience of a run on her side, I’ll side with her to get the better of the highly intriguing, expensive Godolphin filly Star Of Hope. The Gosdens also have a good record in this race in recent times, winning it in 2021 and 2022.
The fourth and final selection on Wednesday comes in the finale at Newmarket, which is the 5.17, and a Class 3 handicap over a mile and two furlongs. Once again, this is highly competitive; however, I’ve come down on HIGH STORM for Karl Burke and Clifford Lee. He’s a three-year-old colt by Nathaniel, so should be at home over these sorts of distances, and proved that to be the case when winning on handicap debut over today’s distance at Doncaster last time out, staying on well to eventually win by a length and a half. There’s likely more progression still to come from him, and a five-pound rise in the weights by the handicapper might not be enough to stop him from following up. He looks fairly solid in a tricky-looking contest.
Wednesday Selections
Newmarket Craven Meeting Day 2
3.00 Newmarket
BOILING POINT – (7/2) (Win)
3.35 Newmarket
ACT OF KINDNESS – (4/1) (Win)
4.45 Newmarket
SO REGAL – (5/2) (Win) (NAP)
5.17 Newmarket
HIGH STORM – (7/2) (Win) (NB)
