Neil Morrice shares all of his best bets and tips for Thursday’s racing coming your way from Yarmouth, Ripon , Worcester,Market Rasen and Sandown Park on 28 May 2026.
YARMOUTH
Race 2 No4 JAKARTA (Each Way)
Trainer: Oliver Cole – Jockey: Tom Marquand
Night Of Thunder filly JAKARTA has her tongue tied down on this return from a lengthy absence. She’s not been without her problems, but the device can assist her towards a big run in the colours of Fitri Hay, as she’s been working well.
Race 4 No1 HENGEST (Nap)
Trainer: Dylan Cunha – Jockey: Luke Morris
An obvious route to goal, though most probably the solution, is HENGEST. He’s lightly raced, open to further progression, and only 4lb higher than for his latest win. He shouldn’t be inconvenienced by a slight step back in trip either.
RIPON
Race 2 No7 HOOD WINK (Each Way)
Trainer: Tim Easterby – Jockey: Harry Russell
HOOD WINK has been a busy boy with mixed results through the spring. Having been unlucky at Redcar he then dead heated at Wetherby. Two subsequent efforts have been less convincing, but a return to a mile could help for a trainer who is the leading light at this course.
WORCESTER
Race 6 No10 MANCERO (Nap)
Trainer: David Pipe – Jockey: Sean Bowen
Those who wait for MANCERO in the nightcap may well profit. He’s at the foot of the weights and well in based on his winning form in France, though owing mainly to breathing issues he’s not quite built on that in the way that was expected.
MARKET RASEN
Race 4 No5 LORD CHAMBERLIN (Nap)
Trainer: Dominic Elsworth – Jockey: Robbie Dunne
The only recommendation on this second jumping card is LORD CHAMBERLIN in the two and a half mile handicap hurdle. For a trainer getting his act together he doesn’t have many miles on his racing clock and is open to further improvement.
SANDOWN PARK
Race 2 No2 ADAAY OF SCARLET (Nap)
Trainer: Hugo Palmer – Jockey: Oisin Murphy
The National Stakes usually has a bearing on the Norfolk or Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot and ADAAY IN SCARLETT can showcase himself as a legitimate candidate for one of those races by remaining unbeaten. The son of Mehmas has shown a professional attitude in his successes at Newmarket and Ascot, whilst having the champion jockey back on board.
Race 3 STAR SPORTS HENRY II STAKES (Group 3)
No5 EPIC POET
Trainer: David O’Meara – Jockey: Danny Tudhope
EPIC POET was the last horse to come off the bridle yet could only manage third place in the Group 2 Yorkshire Cup and is happy racing on a fast surface. He’s not been the easiest horse to win with but is the one that can serve it up to hot favourite SWEET WILLIAM in what should prove an informative trial for next month’s Gold Cup. O’Meara has campaigned him for much of the last two seasons in Dubai, but his form on home soil reads just as well. Sweet William ground it out to land the Sagaro Stakes on his Ascot return having proved a model of consistency since taking out this race two years ago. He’s a worthy favourite, but is certainly beatable.
Race 4 No9 YAZIN
Trainer: John Gosden – Jockey: Ryan Moore
On what might prove a good night for Gosden, YAZIN can extend his winning sequence to four. The son of New Bay delivered on his final two of three starts as a juvenile and showed with the ease of his comeback success at Southwell that a close season breathing operation had worked. Moore was on his back that day and retains the mount for a fascinating clash with Godolphin’s TALK OF NEW YORK. The latter has started odds on for each of his three career outings. He met with defeat in a Listed race at Meydan but after going early to post landed the odds laid on him very comfortably at Newmarket’s Craven meeting. He’s a danger to all, though YAZIN might be less complicated.
Race 5 STAR SPORTS BRIGADIER GERARD STAKES (Group 3)
No1 OMBUDSMAN
Trainer: John Gosden – Jockey: William Buick
The traditional highlight of this fixture remembers one of the greatest milers of all time. It’s attracted one of the top horses in Europe in the shape of OMBUDSMAN, who after meeting with defeat in the race 12 months ago went on to land three Group 1s numbering the Price Of Wales’s Stakes, the Juddmonte International and the Dubai Turf. He’s an outstanding performer who has looked very assured in his work in Newmarket and is almost impossible to oppose. To give an idea of how much he lords it over the others, the second horse in the betting ALMERIC has a couple of Listed triumphs on his CV but was out with the washing on his only attempt at a Group 1. He finished third in the Group 3 Gordon Richards Stakes here last month, and on that evidence can’t beat the outstanding favourite.
