2026 Arena Racing Company Laurels - Ante-post tips

Laurels ante-post tips 

The Arena Racing Company Laurels starts on Saturday evening at its new home of Dunstall Park. It was won by Aayamza Sydney in its final year at Perry Barr, the John Mullins-trained winner taking the track record in the process with his semi-final success.

The market leaders

Romeo Steel is just about at the head of the market with Slingshot Poppy nipping at his heels. He will have to take on Droopys Aladdin in heat five which is going to make for a difficult enough start to the competition for the pair of them. They both have plenty of early pace and it will be interesting to see how the battle for space on the inside goes as they head into the opening corner. 

Patrick Janssens's charge is a multiple track record holder over shorter trips, although he made it no further than the opening round of this competition last year. He has been in flying form this year, winning all five of his starts, including a new clock at Central Park.

Mike Burton's runner arrives fresh off a strong showing in the Ladbrokes Winter Derby, finishing runner-up to Bruce Bay. A regular in these Category One competitions, that was the best effort that he has put up so far. 

This is a return to a stiffer trip for Slingshot Poppy who has made three straight semis at Category One level since joining Brian Fairbairn but is yet to make the breakthrough into a decider.  

The other one in the market who is a single figure price is Wicky Ned. He has not been seen in race action since taking the Select Stakes at Nottingham last August but has looked in decent form in his return trials. If that is the case, he is a huge player as the 2025 Greyhound of the Year.

Each way chances 

The third heat could be carnage for those looking for one just behind the market leaders as Bockos Buster will take on Droopys Trade and Unanimous Leon. The first pair are both 16/1 outright for the competition while Tom Heilbron's runner is 28/1. All three would have been looking for an easier heat as this track and trip looks more than suitable for all of them. 

The red jacket suits Elusivenomore well and he sports that in the opening heat. It will be important to make sure that he comes away to take advantage of it with plenty of pace outside of him that want the rails as well. The 2025 Gymcrack winner, he went on to make the final of the Eclipse.

Interesting outsiders

At 40/1 and in a winnable heat four, it's easy to make a case for Craig Morris's Not So Steady. There is plenty of early pace surrounding him in this heat but a repeat of his 27.99 off a 2.91 split last week would surely be enough to put his name into the semi-final draw. 

Another at the same price is Pain Barrier who has the track record, clocking 27.80 last October. He has only raced once in 2026, well  beaten at Monmore. To be honest, he was a long way off his best in a recent warm up trial for this event, but it would be no surprise if he is capable of taking a big step up on that now. 

Conclusion

A couple against the field here. Although it has been a long time since Wicky Ned last ran in a race, he is a multiple Cat One winner and a proper class act. His recent trials suggest that he has not lost a step and that makes him a massive player for the competition outright.

Things have not exactly gone Pain Barrier's way in 2026. A single start this year was a rough ride around Monmore and his trial here was not exactly earth shattering. He is in a heat that he is more than capable of qualifying from and the current track record holder is a big enough price given this is the track where he has shown the best of his form so far in his career. 

Wicky Ned @ 6/1  - BresBet

Pain Barrier @ 40/1 - bet365 & BresBet