While Glorious Goodwood hosts the best of British, the Galway Festival is lighting up the Irish turf this week. Its feature race is the 2m6½f Galway Plate, a handicap chase contested by some of the best seasoned handicappers over fences in Ireland. GG tipster Joe Napier has taken a look at this year’s field to preview the race and give his verdict.
Favourites
Off the mark over fences at the fifth attempt just 12 days ago, Nurburgring might not possess the speed his name conjures up, but has long been a horse who has threatened to achieve more. He won the Galway Hurdle last year as a four-year-old, so clearly likes this place, but would not be the most obviously well-treated in the handicap for all there is likely more to come. There is untapped potential over this longer trip too.
The same could be said of Down Memory Lane, albeit he has looked more like a two-miler thus far. He will finally get quicker ground conditions here; he is two from two on going quicker than soft and just one for five on slower. If he stays, he is lurking on a dangerous mark with good ground to suit.
Jazzy Matty provided an emotional Cheltenham Festival success for Cian Collins and has been kept to hurdles since. He will go on the ground and has won over 2m5f, so there are frame possibilities at least once again, while Thecompanysergeant is another to have run well at Prestbury Park. He is just 2lb higher for his second in the Plate handicap at the Festival where he likely bumped into a blot in the ratings. He should be dangerous once again.
Contenders
Joseph O’Brien does not rely solely on Nurburgring as Common Practice is also in the line-up. The JP McManus-owned six-year-old won a grade 3 at Thurles in March, but was well enough held in his only handicap chase so far, which came off this mark behind Sea Music. Emmet Mullins is always a man to look out for in handicaps, but his charge has unseated on his other two most recent starts and may now be in the grip of the handicapper.
Anyway ran a remarkable race to be second at the Cheltenham Festival in the newly-formed novices’ handicap chase. He has since got off the mark at Kilbeggan and is feasibly treated on both of those pieces of evidence. He was just his yard’s second winner over fences in the past five seasons when scoring last time out.
The Big Yards
Gordon Elliott and Willie Mullins are mob-handed as ever. The former runs six more beyond Down Memory Lane: Zanahiyr was third a year ago but is 4lb higher now in more dubious form, Duffle Coat and Chemical Energy are likewise struggling of late, while Western Fold, despite winning his last two, has shot up the weights to an untempting mark.
On the other hand, the mare Shecouldbeanything is quite interesting on recent evidence at a big price, as is Three Card Brag, whose chase mark of 145 could well be exploited. He is the mount of Jack Kennedy too.
For Mullins, there are only three guaranteed runners with Arctic Fly a reserve. Adamantly Chosen is the choice of Paul Townend after a promising run at Punchestown, but it could be that Olympic Man is the bigger danger, as he is unexposed enough to potentially have something hidden from the handicapper. A better jumping display could see him in the mix, though Zenta’s form is too in and out for her to be trusted in a race as competitive as this.
Outsiders
Amirite finally won a race when landing the Midlands National at Kilbeggan last time. That is probably the most connections can expect for now while Buddy One looked far from a natural over fences as novice last term.
At bigger odds, the reliable stagers Ashdale Bob and Jesse Evans still look like competing. The former races more sparingly these days, but won the Grade novice chase at this meeting last season and stays this far. A recent run at Kilbeggan should have blown away some cobwebs, while the latter has also won over fences at Galway as well as twice finishing second in the Galway Hurdle. He likes it here and remains in decent enough form.
Senecia has proven capable of a huge upset in the recent past, albeit conceding weight all-round here looks a very tall order, while Gaelic Arc is a very long shot on form.
Verdict
Nurburgring’s victory in the Galway Hurdle last year was impressive and he has shown enough promise to suggest this new trip could suit. There is something in the locker, but the same is almost certainly true of THECOMPANYSERGEANT, who may have bumped into a serious horse when second in the Plate at the Cheltenham Festival. He remains far enough down the handicap to be of serious interest. Down Memory Lane gets his ground, and could threaten if seeing out this new trip, though stablemate Three Card Brag could prove the pick of Gordon Elliott’s runners, while Olympic Man is the choice of the Mullins contingent.
- Thecompanysergeant
- Three Card Brag
- Nurburgring
