Top quality Flat racing takes place at Newmarket on Friday 1st May, with day one of the Guineas meeting, whilst it’s day four of the Punchestown Festival. Our GG Lucky 15 for Friday focuses on the action at the two iconic venues and our in-house tipster Steve Chambers picks out his four best bets.
Newmarket Racing Tips (Friday 1 May 2026)
Seven races get under way at Newmarket at 1.45pm. The feature race on the card is the Group 2 Jockey Club Stakes at 3.30pm. Here are the best bets at Flat HQ.
3.30 Newmarket – Lion’s Pride (1pt win – 4/1)
Fourth in the John Porter Stakes at Newbury on his seasonal British reappearance, Lion’s Pride will attempt to improve on that effort in the Jockey Club Stakes. He was well beaten that day, but he’s sure to strip fitter for that outing. One huge positive is that he steamrollered a strong field on his last visit to Newmarket when winning over Friday’s trip of 1m 4f. If he can replicate that listed performance on his return to Newmarket then the Gosden-trained contender can record more success at the track.
4.05 Newmarket – Leadman (1pt win – 8/1)
Andrew Balding’s Golden Redemption could prove to be better than most of his rivals in the long run, but he could be one that takes a bit of time to find his feet in handicaps this season. Third last time out at Kempton, he’s a warm order to land the 4.05pm at Newmarket, but is worth taking on. David O’Meara’s Leadman can down him in this event at an eye-catching price. He’s dropped back to a mark of 83, which is incidentally the last mark he won off. That success also came at Newmarket on the July Couse. So, he’s shown he can deliver the goods at the venue and having already had a run at Thirsk (finished 8th of 13) then that should bring him on leaps and bounds for this.
Punchestown Racing Tips (Friday 1 May 2026)
A whopping eight races take place on day four of the Punchestown Festival. We have a brace of selections for another stunning National Hunt card.
5.25 Punchestown – Raglan Road (1pt win – 10/1)
Disappointing his first three chase runs, Raglan Road finally got off the mark over the larger obstacles with a win at Down Royal in March. Henry De Bromhead’s charge should come on for that massively and can follow up in the 5.25pm race. Given a 5lbs rise for that success, he will need to improve off a mark of 129. However, he was rated in the low 130s over hurdles, so he does have the capabilities to play a notable role in this competitive-looking handicap chase.
7.10 Punchestown – Chichester Park (1pt win – 8/1)
Tony Martin claim victory in the 7.10pm contest last season and the shrewd Irish trainer can strike again on Friday with Chichester Park. Dropped 1lb by the handicapper for a recent run where he was 8th of 19. Chichester Park will relish the drop back to two miles for this event. He wasn’t ideally placed over two-and-a-half miles in that Down Royal event. So, if he can sit closer to the pace here than off a mark of 117 he can land the win.
GG Lucky 15 Tips – Friday 1 May
3.30 Newmarket – Lion’s Pride (1pt win – 4/1)
4.05 Newmarket – Leadman (1pt win – 8/1)
5.25 Punchestown – Raglan Road (1pt win – 10/1)
7.10 Punchestown – Chichester Park (1pt win – 8/1)
Today’s Meetings & Start Times
- Newmarket- first race 13:45
- Punchestown – first race 15:40
FAQs: Today’s Racing Tips
What are today’s GG Lucky 15 tips?
Steve Chambers provides the GG Lucky 15 tips on Friday 1 May, which includes selections at Newmarket & Punchestown.
Who is Steve Chambers? Steve Chambers is the editor and regular tipster and writer for GG. He has over 15 years experience in the industry and has a wealth of knowledge on all things racing.
When were Friday’s Lucky 15 tips for Newmarket & Punchestown published?
GG’s Lucky 15 tips for Friday 1 May at Newmarket & Punchestown were published at 3.00pm on Thursday 30th April.
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