Galway Festival Day Two – Tuesday 26th July

Day Two Preview – 2022 Galway Festival – Andrew Blair White

There was a blank fire on the first day of the Galway Festival yesterday, which was a shame but there was not much luck in running and some of the results were definitely a surprise to me. However, it is a long week and I won’t be getting down on it too quickly, with still plenty of chances to make up for it throughout the week. It is a tricky card tomorrow and I will be hoping for some luck from some of the big priced selections. 

Starting again with the 5.40 race, which is the second race on the card and this 2m2f beginners chase has a host of good horses lining up in it and it could be a tricky race to solve. Midnight Run clearly has a big chance in this race, after being impressive on the flat last weekend. However, I was always a big fan of Jon Snow, and he showed that he retained his ability when finishing second on the flat last time out. It seems like the right time to attack fences now and he was a winner at this festival back a few years ago, so he has some course form to fall back upon. With plenty going in his favor, and his trainer having such a good record at this meeting, there are plenty of boxes being ticked. At a price of 11/4 with Bet365, he should be backed. 

The 6.40 race is the feature race of the evening and the Colm Quinn BMW Mile is a fascinating race and for the second day running, I am going to throw two darts at the feature race. Ado McGuinness has had a brilliant record in this race for the last number of years, but given how mob handed he is in this race, it is hard to identify who might be the one. Therefore, I have nominated two of his less likely, based on the betting, as potential options. First of all is Star Harbour, who is a horse I backed last time out at Leopardstown, to little avail. However, this trip suits him much better and he has shown some bright form already this season, including in similar type handicaps to this. He has always been shaped like a flat mile is a little bit tight for him, while 10 furlongs seems to stretch him. As a result, this trip should be right up his street. If getting the right splits, he could run a big race. At a price of 16/1 with William Hill, who are offering 6 places in the race, he should be backed each way.  

Perhaps it is my heart ruling my head on the other horse I am siding with in this encounter, but I can’t allow this race pass by without having a nibble on Bowerman at an enormous price. Bowerman has been a terrific servant for connections but after a spell in the doldrums, he now finds himself off a very low weight, with good young jockey Alan Persse taking a further seven pounds off his back. He was unlucky in this race last year when checked at vital stages and never getting a run through, and he was running off around a stone more than what he has to carry this time around. McGuinness has managed to get horses back to form to win around this track before, and just given how far this horse has fallen in the ratings, it can’t be seen as an impossible shock. He also showed some small promise last time out and could be falling to a winning mark. At an enormous price of 40/1 with William Hill, who are also offering 6 places, he should be afforded a chance each way.