Timeform Daily View: Points of interest

Timeform Daily View | Sunday preview and tips

By Nic Doggett

Horse Racing

Sat April 18, 2026 · 2h ago

Nic Doggett provides an overview of the key things to note on Sunday.

Skelton targeting elusive win – for once

At the time of writing, Dan Skelton is yet to break the (self-imposed) £5m prize money target for this season, but it surely won’t be long.

Citing his father Nick’s influence, having seen his Olympic showjumping exploits as a child, Skelton appears determined to set records that could stand for some time. "Next season I want to beat Martin Pipe's jumps record of 243 winners in a season," he explained.

Team Skelton head to Plumpton en-masse on Sunday, bidding to secure a first win of the season at the East Sussex venue, and the likes of Delganey Deadline (14:17), Loriko and Ballyeaston (14:52), Top Guy and Tranquil Sea (15:27), and Notnowlinda (17:12) should ensure that the yard doesn’t come away empty handed.

Timeform’s weight-adjusted ratings suggest that, for all Harry Skelton rides their stable newcomer Ballyeaston, Loriko should be the banker. He is 13 lb clear on ratings, and though turned over at odds-on here earlier this month, doesn’t appear to face anything of the calibre of Flash Man on Sunday. He can make all with cheekpieces applied for the first time.

Along with Plumpton, a winner at Perth has also eluded Skelton this term – the only two of the 41 racecourses where he hasn't tasted success. “It’s never been done before so we’re going to give it our best shot,” Skelton said on Friday. “We just can’t quite seem to get over the line at Plumpton, but maybe Sunday will be the day that we do.”

Dan Skelton and owner Rachel Wilson after landing the top lot (Photo courtesy of Tattersalls)

Read about Dan Skelton's latest acquisitions at the Tattersalls Cheltenham Sale

AMO Racing key to the opener at the Curragh

Over in Ireland, the Curragh’s billing is topped by British raider Royal Rhyme in the Group 3 Tote Guarantee, Never Beaten By SP Alleged Stakes (15:35).

His last visit to the course ended in a midfield finish in the Group 1 Tattersalls Gold Cup 11 months ago, but clearly this easier company should suit, for all Green Impact, Red Letter, Twain and the progressive Beset represents a strong set of opponents.

However, the opening Arizona Blaze Standing At The Irish National Stud Irish EBF Race (13:15) catches my eye, too.

Arizona Blaze, a son of Sergei Prokofiev, now stands for €12,500 following a racing career for Adrian Murray that began with a debut success at the Curragh in March, included a Group 3 win here two months later and saw his juvenile campaign sign off with a fine second to Magnum Force in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint at Del Mar.

His second season again began with a reappearance success in March, this time at Dundalk, before a Group 3 win at Chantilly and a neck-second in the Commonwealth Cup. Following a Group 2 win, again here at the Curragh, he finally gained a well-deserved top-level success when beating Nighteyes in the Flying Five Stakes at which venue? Yes, you guessed it, here.

As the poster boy for both the Curragh and the Irish National Stud, expect to see plenty of his offspring in this race in the future, but for now it’s left to his owners – AMO Racing – to keep him in the headlines before his first crop reach the racecourse.

They have two of the five runners on Sunday, both by Persian Force, with newcomer What A Girl Wants joined by Brocklesby third Blixen Force. Colin Keane looks an interesting booking for the former, whose dam won on debut, while the latter’s Doncaster form is relatively untested but the fifth Rlasthorpe ran well in defeat the other day. In addition, the yard also runs Belle Island who has twice run very well at Dundalk.

Of their rivals, four of Star Prospect’s siblings have won but none were particularly precocious, and the more obvious newcomer is the Ballydoyle runner Carry The Flag. However, it’s also worth noting that none of his siblings won first-time-out and they have tended to excel over further.

This looks likely to head back to the Mullingar stables of Robson De Aguiar – one-time assistant to Murray – but it’s hard to know which of his three will prevail.

Buy Timeform's Horses To Follow for 2026 here

The only horse who can beat Barton Snow?

“He’s so fast. He'd beat Artemis II to the moon – they took ten days, he'd do it in nine! He's an unbelievable machine.”

That was my favourite post-race quote of Aintree’s Grand National meeting, coming from Joe O’Shea following the on-the-bridle win of Barton Snow in the Foxhunters.

And on Sunday, we get to see the only horse who has beaten Barton Snow in his last 10 starts as Important Notice – who made O’Shea’s stable star look one-paced at Chaddesley Corbett back in December 2024 - runs in the Racing TV 'Grassroots' Open Hunters' Chase (17:25).

Josh Newman, who brought up his 100th winner as a trainer in point-to-points in less than four years when Al Gasparo and Noble Blue won at Charing in late-January, has continued where he left off as a leading amateur rider.

A big part of his wife Kayley Woollacott’s training operation in Somerset, Newman’s success between the flags could be emulated on the racecourse proper on Sunday as Important Notice bids to follow up a pair of recent small-field Trebudannon wins against the similarly-prolific Killer Clown and Largy Pearl, front-runner Kansas Du Berlais and Amidnightstar, who ran the odds-on shot Coeur d’Alene close at Sandown earlier this month.

Safer gambling

We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.

If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.

Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org.

Like what you've read?