Alan Kelly’s Tips

Alan heads to Ayr on Monday for his best bet

Updated: July 26, 2026 at 4:56 pm GMT+1

Get fresh daily selections and a standout Nap of the Day from our in-house racing expert, Alan Kelly.

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A winning week ending Sunday, 26 July, mainly down to the victory of Kalpana (tipped at 9/1) in a fantastic  King George V1 & Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot on Saturday.

P/L for the week ending Sunday, 26 July: +£6.80

P/L  for the year to date: +£162.40

P/L for the year 2025: +£22.38

P/L for the year 2024: +£200.42

P/L since 1st September 2022: +£663.06


Alan Kelly's Tips - Monday, 27 July

We can expect plenty of top class horse racing action over the next week under both codes, courtesy of the Glorious Goodwood and Galway Festivals.

Galway gets off to a quiet start on Monday, the Irish card one of five meetings along with Ayr and Southwell in the afternoon and Windsor and Ripon in the evening.


3:15pm Ayr - Imperial Guard (Nap)

One of two runners for trainer Michael Dods, the other being top weight Roaring Ralph, the hat-trick seeking IMPERIAL GUARD (Nap) looks more than capable of defying a 5lb penalty for his victory over today’s course and distance of 7 days ago.

Before joining Dods last March from the Kingsclere stable of Andrew Balding, the Night Of Thunder gelding had finished a creditable second in a 6f handicap at Newmarket off a mark of 82. While it has taken a while for the five-year-old to recapture that kind of form for current connections, Connor Beasley’s mount has looked a different proposition on his last two starts, recording comfortable wins on this course.

Off a mark of 65, Imperial Guard only had to be pushed-out to land the odds here last week, and a rise of 7lb to a mark of 72 is unlikely to stop the selection from winning again, despite the going from Class 6 to Class 4 level. The two Jim Goldie runners are closely matched, preference being for the consistent Abduction, who looks the main danger to the selection.

Recommendation: Imperial Guard (Nap) - 10/11 with bet365


5:20pm Ayr - Ravenscraig Castle (Each-Way)

It's now five years since Iain Jardine’s grey RAVENSCRAIG CASTLE (Each-Way) recorded the second of his two wins on the Flat, that victory coming over an extra 3 furlongs on this card in 2021. Following that win, the son of Nathaniel ran a huge race at York’s Ebor Festival when finishing third, beaten half a length, in the Sky Bet Melrose (Heritage Handicap).

The eight-year-old’s only success since then has come over hurdles when winning a two mile handicap at Perth 12 months ago. Andrew Mullen’s mount has performed well on both recent visits to that course however, and now back on the level this enigmatic dual purpose horse looks to have his best chance for some time in this mile and a quarter Class 6 contest racing off a career-low mark of just 58.

While claims can be made for last time out winners Recobella and Daring Leader, the main danger to the each-way selection may come in the shape of stablemate Falcon Nine, who ran well to finish second here last week and has the services of in-form jockey Kieran Shoemark for the first time.

Recommendation: Ravenscraig Castle (Each-Way) - 10/1 with bet365 (4 places)


Ante-Post: Coral Golden Mile (Goodwood, 31 July) - Tribal Chief (Each-Way)

Having selected the David Menuisier-trained Tribal Chief for Saturday's valuable Coral Challenge at Sandown, the race was pretty much over for Saffie Osborne's mount as the stalls opened, the five-year-old losing in the region of 8 lengths to his rivals in a race where it was almost impossible to win from such a position.

A fast finishing sixth, beaten three lengths, the son of Sioux Nation nevertheless ran a cracking trial for Goodwood's Coral Golden Mile later this month. Currently standing at number 46 for the £175k handicap on the Friday of the five-day festival, and with a maximum field of 20, the five-year-old will need a few to come out in order to make the cut.

Sixth in last year's race off a 2lb lower mark when beaten three lengths after being slowly away once again as a strongly-fancied 11/2 chance, TRIBAL CHIEF (Each-Way) will need to get his act together as the stalls open on the Sussex Downs, but following excellent efforts in both the Lincoln and Victoria Cup this season, the ante-post selection has a big handicap within him at some point.

Recommendation: Tribal Chief (Each-Way) - 16/1 with Betfred & Paddy Power (¼ odds, 1-2-3-4)


* Betting odds correct at the time of publication. All odds are subject to changes.


Check out more from the Freebets horse racing hub, including tips, stats, market movers and today’s racecards!

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Horse Racing Market Movers - Today’s Best Backed Horses
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Nap of the Day - Top Horse Racing Naps & Daily Tips

About Alan Kelly

A passionate follower of horse racing for over 50 years, Alan has enjoyed a 40-year career in the betting industry, 28 of which he spent running his betting shop as an owner/manager.

A successful punter with a keen eye for value, Alan has had many betting highlights, including a Scoop 6 win and has shown a consistent profit in the battle with bookmakers since joining Free Bets in 2008.

You can follow Alan Kelly on X for more racing insight.


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Alan Kelly
Alan Kelly

A successful punter, with a keen eye for value, Alan has had many betting highlights down the years, including a Scoop 6 win and has shown a consistent profit in the battle with bookmakers since joining Free Bets.

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