Galway Festival Day Six – Saturday 31st July

It’s safe to say that this week has been a bruising week confidence wise, and it has been majorly disappointing to not supply the amount of winners that I was hoping for on such a prestigious week. It’s tough to know where things have gone wrong but the inconsistent ground at Goodwood has paid to many of my selections, and I have struggled all week to work out the Willie Mullins runners at Galway. But there are still two days in Galway to try and redeem myself, and it won’t be from a lack of trying.

Today I’ll be starting off with the 1.25, which is a mile maiden for 3 year olds and above. As typically you find with these sorts of events, there are plenty in here who are probably a combination of not good enough to win a maiden, or seeking a potential handicap mark for the future. I believe that out of the 17 runners going to post, there are genuinely only 4 likely winners, so you can narrow it down quite quickly and easily. I have landed on Sherkin Island in this race, who brings likeable form to the table and is sure to improve from her debut outing. She came 3rd on debut in the Curragh over 10 furlings and takes a step back down in trip here, which should be of no inconvenience. Citronnade, who won for us on WhichBookie on Monday, won that race before being tossed out in the stewards room, and has subsequently won 2 races since, so the form is robust. She gets a handy fillies allowance of 5 pounds from her main market rivals, and she has a box seat draw in 2, so everything is in her favour. At a price of 7/4 with Bet365, I am hoping she collects. 

The 2.00 at Galway is a very competitive handicap over the same extended mile distance. I would be lying to say that these types of races are my bread and butter – but I will be having a play on Coill Na Soinainne but Willie McCreery and Billy Lee. This mare has been a bit of a revelation of late, as she has improved from a rating of 46 to 78 in recent times, including two very stylish victories. She was well beaten in a premier handicap in the Curragh off this mark, but this is an ease in grade and I don’t think that she’s quite done improving just yet. The each price of 12/1 generally with 5 places available is what is luring me into this mare, and I hope she might have a little bit of progression still in the tank.  

The 4.20 race is more of my style of flat handicap, over the staying trip of 1m4f. I find the look of the top weight in this the most attractive, and I’ll be siding with Bolivar for Paddy Twomey, who is always a trainer to keep the right side of. This 4YO colt has done a lot of improving over the last year and steps back down in grade to handicaps after contesting some listed contests. He ran the very smart Barrington Court within 2 lengths at Naas last autumn, before a good reappearance run in early June when involved in a bunch finish behind Reve de Vole and Patrick Sarsfield in the Orby Stakes. The step back up to 1m4f should be of no problem to him and he is obviously the class act in this field. It’s a highly competitive race, so therefore I’ll be backing him at 17/2 with Ladbrokes with 5 places available.