A bumper field will line up for the 2025 Galway Handicap Hurdle on Thursday 31st July on day four of the Galway Festival. Attracting a stellar field this year, our in-house tipster Steve Chambers takes a look through the form and picks out his 1-2-3 for the big race here…
Favourites
Four-year-olds have won the last two renewals of the Galway Hurdle and there’s another hugely popular four-year-old in the betting for the 2025 race in the shape of Cheltenham Festival winner Puturhandstogether, who is a hot favourite to claim this race. A dominant six length victor in the Fred Winter back in March, Joseph O’Brien’s charge then failed to follow when third in the Grade 1 Anniversary Juvenile 4-Y-O Hurdle at Aintree. He was last seen down the field in the Grade 3 Grimes Hurdle, but a return to handicaps off a mark of 141 means the JP McManus-owned raider has to stand a huge chance.
Plenty of runners who featured in that abovementioned Grimes Hurdle will take their chance here and the winner that day Jesse Evans will take his chance, but faces a stiff ask, and he’s also declared for the Galway Plate on Wednesday. Enniskerry was second that day at Tipperary and takes his chance here and is quietly fancied to run well, while Winter Fog was another that finished ahead of Puturhandstogether in that contest, but off top weight here has his work cut out.
Ndaawi was last seen chasing home Kargese in the County Hurdle at Cheltenham in March and Gordon Elliott’s five-year-old will have to defy a 5lbs rise to land this prize on Thursday. However, he could be one that is open to more improvement and is certainly one for the shortlist, as is Mr Percy, who is another shot fired by the Joseph O’Brien gun and he heads here on the back of a big win on the flat and if he can sparkle over hurdles then has to be a player.
Outsiders
Willie Mullins has trained five of the last nine winners of this contest and he will saddle a quartet of runners here and while the likes of Gaucher and Batman Girac have some smart form in the book, a fascinating runner is Tounsivator, who will be ridden by British star jockey Harry Cobden. The pair have teamed up for glory before and while Tounsivator was last seen finishing down the field in the Sussex Champion Hurdle he is better than that. Unplaced in the Martin Pipe, he had shown his class when winning the Grade 2 Royal Bond Novice Hurdle earlier in his career, so if he can recapture that sort of form then he has to be considered.
A winner at Punchestown last time out, Casheldale Lad will be another Elliott-trained runner looking to score for the Cullentra House handler who is yet to taste victory in the race, and that five-year-old is on the upgrade and is an eye-catching runner. Dysart Enos will travel from Britain for Fergal O’Brien and she’s yet to build on early promise shown on the track, but could be one that runs a big race at a price, while the likes of Helvic Dream and Sunchart are another classy duo that could look to cause a stir in what is a thrilling renewal.
2025 Galway Hurdle Tips
All eyes are on the heavily backed Puturhandstogether, but he’s pretty short for a competitive contest, so look for value elsewhere and if TOUNSIVATOR can recapture the form that saw him win a Grade 2 as a novice then he has to be a huge contender for the deadly duo of Willie Mullins and Harry Cobden. Mr Percy has been in great form and can chase home the Co. Carlow inmate with Puturhandstogether finishing in third.
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