Who won the 16:30 Down Royal on 28 August 2026?
Nicky Larson (FR) won the 16:30 Down Royal at SP 1.62. Ridden by Sean Flanagan. Trained by Paul Nolan.
16:30 Down Royal
IrelandCoca-Cola HBC Ireland And Northern Ireland 3-Y-O Hurdle
2m1½f · Hurdle · Good · 9 runners · €7,200 · Friday, 28 August 2026
Result
AI top pick wonat SP 8/13F·1.62Race report
- 1stNicky Larson (FR)AI top pick · 39.8Sean Flanagan·Paul Nolan8/13F·1.62SP
- 2ndNod Of Approval (IRE)Simon Torrens·Mrs John Harrington·beaten .5 lengths11/2·6.50SP
- 3rdNo Bother Aoife (IRE)Conor Stone-Walsh·Gavin Cromwell·beaten 7.5 lengths7/2·4.50SP
Race time
4m 2.70s
Race time recorded.
In-running (Nicky Larson (FR))
“Set the pace early - driven up after 3 out and matched stride by rival - stayed on strongly from the last - forged clear near the finish to score”
Settled · 1pt level stake = 0.62 pt return on the winnerTipping P&L →
Furlong's verdict
Reading the form…
AI-written, grounded in our data on this race. May be wrong. Verify before staking. Opinion, not advice.
Pundit corner
Racing Post · third-partyPundit pick: Nicky Larson
Nicky Larson heads the ratings for this stamina-testing eighteen-furlong contest at Down Royal on good-to-firm ground, clearly ahead of No Bother Aoife and with a more meaningful edge over Nod Of Approval and Sands Castle, though the confidence level here is modest and the unrated runners add an element of the unknown. No Bother Aoife is the most obvious threat given a rating ten points below our selection, while Nod Of Approval and Sands Castle will need to find improvement to get involved. On the figures available, Nicky Larson is the one to be with.
Editorial from Racing Post analysts via the Racing API — not generated by Racing Alpha. Formbook forecast prices are estimates, not market prices.
Why the model rates this top
Nicky Larson
Sean Flanagan · Paul Nolan · 3yo
Top-rated of 9
score 39.8 · +9.8 clear of next best (30.0)
Scores compare runners within this race only
The Racing Alpha rating combines four signals. Below is the breakdown — components driving this pick first.
- Freshness10% weight100very strong18d since last run (race-fit window)
- Form20% weight87very strongLast 6: 3-1
- Trainer20% weight63small sample (n=4)Paul Nolan: 1/4 winners last 14d (25%) — too few recent runs to judge the yard
- Ratings50% weight0weakno Racing Post ratings on file
MarketNo market price available yet.
v1.3 rating — a field-relative score, not a win probability; for market-derived value see the Fair column in the runners table. Weights and method on /about. Tips are opinions, not advice.
Runners · sorted by finishing position
| Pos | No. | Horse | Form | OR | AI | SP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | J: Sean Flanagan · T: Paul Nolan · draw 0 3yo · G · b | 31 | — | 39.8 | 8/13F·1.62 SP |
| 2 | 4 | J: Simon Torrens · T: Mrs John Harrington · draw 0 3yo · G · btFT T | 7 | — | 16.0 | 11/2·6.50 SP |
| 3 | 7 | J: Conor Stone-Walsh · T: Gavin Cromwell · draw 0 3yo · F · bt | 43 | — | 30.0 | 7/2·4.50 SP |
| 4 | 5 | J: Thomas O'Connor(7) · T: Mark Fahey · draw 0 3yo · G · b | — | — | 15.0 | 16/1·17.00 SP |
| 5 | 9 | J: P J O'Hanlon · T: W R Crawford · draw 0 3yo · F · chht | — | 18.5 | 40/1·41.00 SP | |
| 6 | 8 | J: Harry Sexton(7) · T: Adrian Sexton · draw 0 3yo · F · bh | 6 | — | 14.0 | 8/1·9.00 SP |
| 7 | 3 | J: J J Slevin · T: W R Crawford · draw 0 3yo · G · b | — | — | 16.5 | 100/1·101.00 SP |
| 8 | 2 | J: Michael Kenneally(5) · T: John Joseph Hanlon · draw 0 3yo · G · b | 0U | — | 11.0 | 125/1·126.00 SP |
| PU | 6 | J: Kevin Sexton · T: C A McBratney · draw 0 3yo · F · b | — | — | 18.5 | 50/1·51.00 SP |
OR = official rating · AI = model score (0–100) · form reads oldest → latest
Frequently asked questions
Did the Racing Alpha AI tip win the 16:30 Down Royal?
Yes — the AI top-rated horse, Nicky Larson, won the race (AI score 39.8).
What were the placings in the 16:30 Down Royal?
Top finishers: 1. Nicky Larson (FR) (1.62), 2. Nod Of Approval (IRE) (6.50), 3. No Bother Aoife (IRE) (4.50).
What was the winning time for the 16:30 Down Royal?
The winning time was 4m 2.70s.
Best price shown is the highest decimal price across bookmakers we track. Odds update every few minutes; settle at SP if unavailable. 18+ only · Bet responsibly · BeGambleAware.org