The Galway Hurdle takes place on Thursday afternoon and is the feature hurdle race contested at the Galway Festival. An often fascinating race lives up to expectations in 2022, and our Racing Editor has delved into this year’s field providing his in-depth guide to the race. Check out their thoughts below, along with an exclusive 888sport offer, which provides £20 in Free Bets when you place your first bet of £5+.
Mullins Heads the Market
Willie Mullins has taken four of the last six renewals of the Galway Hurdle and he goes mob-handed with the four entries in a bid to continue his excellent recent record in the contest. The market has none of his quarter priced bigger than 16/1, but the horse that they feel provides the stable with the strongest chance of success is Adamantly Chosen.
This 5yo was well punted for the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival (another race that the yard excels in) and although he disappointed in that affair, finishing only eleventh, he was much better when fourth at the Punchestown Festival next time out.
Adamantly Chosen made up a lot of ground there from what was perhaps not an ideal track position (raced in rear where the front two were positioned behind the leaders) and given he’s only a pound higher today, if this drop back to 2m doesn’t inconvenience him too heavily then he’s surely going to go close.
In-form Mares Both Ones to Note
A mare hasn’t won the Galway Hurdle since Missunited (2013) but there appears every chance that will be corrected in 2022 with both Santa Rossa and Anna Bunina featuring prominently in most betting lists.
Santa Rossa has always held a high reputation yet hasn’t been the easiest horse to train, this just her eleventh career start. She put up a career-best when landing the Grade 3 Grimes Hurdle at Tipperary last time and being a fairly quick mare who appreciates a decent gallop on good ground, this looks just about the perfect race for her.
Anna Bunina has been a credit to her connections and claimed big-race glory in the Scottish Champion Hurdle earlier this year. Her form figures since read 5121, finding a mark of 134 no barrier to success when landing a valuable handicap hurdle at Bellewstown earlier this month. She’s up 7lb for that, which puts her on a career-high mark, but even so, she can’t be completely dismissed in her current mood.
Former Grade 1 Winners Worth Respect
Saldier caused a slight shock when running out the 18/1 winner of last year’s Galway Hurdle but he was a previous dual Grade 1 winner over hurdles and in this year’s lineup both Ballyadam and Felix Desjy are examples of horses who’ve previous struck at the very top level.
Ballyadam still hasn’t won since claiming the 2020 Royal Bond, but last year’s Supreme Novices’ Hurdle second bounced back from a couple of below-par efforts to finish a 50/1 fifth in the County Hurdle when last seen. That form’s been franked since, so running off the same mark of 144 Ballyadam looks interesting for his top connections, for all that he may need a little further nowadays.
Felix Desjy has never been the most reliable, but this former tearaway front-runner appreciated the switch to hold-up tactics when landing a handicap hurdle at the Punchestown Festival and has since finished a respectable fourth in the Grimes Hurdle. He was actually sent off the 4/1F for this race in 2020, falling at just the second flight, but now a 9yo he’s not one of the likely market leaders.
Galway Racecourse,
Ballybrit
Galway
Ireland
Galway Racecourse
Put simply, the Galway festival is Ireland’s biggest annual sporting event. Much like the Melbourne Cup does in Australia, the Galway Festival brings the west coast and much of the country to a standstill as people flock to Ballybrit in search of experiencing something truly unique to Ireland. Galway races are evident all year round, but the seven day extravaganza which begins at the end of July, trumps the other meetings at not only Galway, but pretty much everywhere else in the country. The track itself is more or less rectangular in shape and is a sharp, right-handed course with a two furlong uphill finish. The Galway Hurdle is the biggest race at the festival is worth 260,000 Euro to the winner, although the Galway Plate isn’t far behind in terms of stature. Galway is a course to enjoy at any time but for the festival just take a day or two off – pull a sickie, do what you must, but at some stage you must go to Galway to experience the truly outstanding festival.
Lightly Raced Outsiders Can Outrun their Odds
The likes of Shewearsitwell, Vina Ardanza and Celestial Horizon haven’t had a whole host of opportunities hurdling between them and it wouldn’t be a shock to see either of them take a step forward here.
Shewearsitwell hasn’t quite kicked on as expected but she put up a good showing when fifth in the Grade 1 Mares Champion Hurdle at the Punchestown Festival, and wasn’t disgraced (albeit still behind a few of these) when fifth in the Grimes Hurdle last time out. An opening handicap mark of 143 might underestimate her, but there’s a suspicion that she now needs 2m4f+ to be seen at her very best.
Vina Ardanza has been seen just five times on the track, winning his first two starts before placed efforts in a Naas Grade 3 and Aintree Grade 1. He didn’t trouble the judge when a 66/1 outsider for the Champion Novice Hurdle at the Punchestown Festival, but this looks like a more realistic assignment with decent ground clearly in his favour, and he could well prove far better than a mark of 137.
Celestial Horizon is a classy operator on the flat (sixth in last season’s Irish Cesarewitch) and whilst he’s been a little slow to come to hand over hurdles things really clicked into place at Killarney on his penultimate outing, Celestial Horizon winning easily off a mark of 127. He found the Grimes Hurdle too hot last time, but reverting to a handicap will suit and given that this is only his eighth hurdles outing there’s every chance that there’s more to come.
Galway Hurdle Verdict
Adamantly Chosen represents the all-conquering Willie Mullins stable and he was quite a big eyecatcher at the Punchestown Festival last time. He has to be respected off just a pound higher mark, but this trip might just prove on the sharp side and therefore at the prices, there are a couple fancied to finish ahead of him. Santa Rossa has always been a horse with plenty of potential, for all that she’s not been the easiest to train, and her recent Grimes Hurdle win represented quite a significant career-best performance. She’s gone up 10lb on her return to handicap company but will love this ground and has to be respected, but at a significantly bigger price, it might just pay to take a chance on VINA ARDANZA. Gordon Elliott’s charge has been quite highly tried in a short career on the track, bumping into the likes of Jonbon and El Fabiolo in a Grade 1 at Aintree earlier this year. He shapes like a horse who’ll benefit from a test such as this and therefore off what looks a workable opening handicap mark of 137 is worth backing to land the spoils.
- VINA ARDANZA
- Santa Rossa
- Adamantly Chosen