Horse Racing Tips by Always Back Winners:- 16th May 2026

Flat racing attention heads north today with some cracking turf handicaps from both Thirsk and Doncaster 👀

Thirsk’s always competitive sprint contests look sure to provide plenty of betting angles while Doncaster hosts a solid evening card on Town Moor featuring a mix of sprint and middle-distance handicaps.

💰 Plenty of each-way opportunities to get stuck into heading into the weekend 🍀

Disappointing results yesterday with favourite Zarathos landing the prize and both of our selections finishing out of the places. That’s racing. Let's move on and hopefully a better day ahead today 🤞🏇

There's two horse racing tips today 🫎 🫎

BOL (Best Of Luck!) with any of your betting selections today.

Back in the morning around 8.30 am.

Gary

2025/26 £1k to £10k Challenge bank ended at £1529.59 with a 36% win/place rate.

2026/27 £1k to £10k Challenge bank stands at £832.39 with a 37% win/place rate and full stakes at £10.40 EW

2026/27 Turf bank stands at -11.5pts to 1pt EW stakes with over a 34% win/place rate.

2025/26 AW bank ended at +62.6 pts to 1pt EW stakes with over a 39% win/place rate.

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Full Results from 2015 onwards >>HERE<<

Today's Horse Racing Tips - Dante Festival & Hamilton

Thirsk 15.37

Pixie Diva won for us already this term and doesn't look brilliant value in this competitive 5f at around wipes yer face 6's.

Opting with another split stakes approach and first up is CALL TO ACTION.

Mick & Dave's charge is still relatively lightly raced for a sprinter, he has already won two of his nine career starts and retains the profile of a horse who may yet have more improvement to come in handicaps.

His success at Ripon last July reads well in the context of today’s race and he returned from a lengthy nine-month absence with an excellent effort at Pontefract last month, finishing runner-up despite racing from a mark 3lb higher than his last winning rating.

Nudged up another 2lb for that latest effort, but the performance suggested there could still be more to come, particularly as it was his first run back after a significant break. The expectation is that he can strip fitter for that outing and take another step forward here.

The return to a track like Thirsk also looks a positive and gets a preferred higher draw where a benefit in these big-field sprint handicaps. The likely strong pace should allow him to settle just behind the leaders before launching his challenge late on.

Joanna Mason doing the steering and priced with 10/1 and FIVE paying places with the bet365.

2nd up is Nigel Tinkler's MUKER.

Could well have been overlooked, his overall profile at Thirsk is much stronger than many in the field and there’s a feeling this race could have been the plan all along.

One particularly eye-catching trend is how often he tends to hit form early in the season. He has now won on his third start back in each of the last three campaigns, including over C&D last year, and today’s race fits that exact same pattern once again.

He is also double-entered this week with an alternative engagement at Haydock, but this Class 4 contest looks notably easier on paper. The Haydock option would have required him to compete from a rating around 6lb higher, while this race is also roughly 6lb weaker than the Class 4 he won here last May when beating Tinto. That comparison makes his current mark look far more workable than it perhaps appears at first glance.

The return to Thirsk is another major positive. Muker clearly enjoys the track especially when able to get a strong pace to aim at. As with Call To Action, he's drawn high and will be finishing off up the stands rail.

Nigel Tinkler’s charges also tend to go particularly well at Thirsk and the yard has built up a strong reputation for producing sprinters capable of outrunning their odds in races like this.

For Alex Jary doing the steering, he looks a decent EW shout if ready to roll and the race unfolds in his favour, priced around 20/1 for one of the FIVE paying places with the bet365.

Thirsk 15.37 - Call To Action & Muker (Full Stakes Challenge)

Doncaster 20.15

Pit pony class 6 0-55 with not many recent winners lining up.

Drawn to a previous tracker in Jess Macey's SHARK TWO ONE.

He could well outrun his odds in what looks a fairly open handicap with recent encouraging signs to suggest he’s edging back towards a race-winning performance.

His latest run at Leicester also offered encouragement over an inadequate-looking 6f, where he made late headway through the field in what looked very much a pipe-opener run that should have brought him on. The return to 7f now looks a major plus, especially considering all three of his career wins have come over this trip.

The return to a galloping track like Doncaster is another positive, as he's been at his best when allowed to build momentum on long straights rather than being caught out on sharper, more tactical circuits.

His current handicap mark is looks very workable based on some of the stronger form he showed earlier in his career. This doesn’t appear the deepest race for the grade, and in contests like these it often only takes one horse to bounce back to previous levels to become very competitive.

Jess Macey’s yard may not be flying at the moment, which perhaps explains the generous price, but the stable does have a solid record at Doncaster and this could easily be the type of track where one pops up at rewarding odds.

Another major positive is the booking of Jack Dace, whose recent form in the saddle has been excellent. His record over the last couple of weeks reads 14-3-6 and the valuable 5lb claim could make a huge difference in a tightly-knit handicap like this on with 14/1 and FIVE paying places.

Doncaster 20.15 - Shark Two One (Full Stakes Challenge)

Today's Bets........

Good luck with any of your EW selections today.

Thirsk 15.37 - Call To Action & Muker (Full Stakes Challenge)

Doncaster 20.15 - Shark Two One (Full Stakes Challenge)

BOL (Best Of Luck!)

ABW Team

Early Season Trainers Report