Monday 27 July
IRELAND'S EYE
The ground looks likely to be soft at best for the opening day of the Galway 7 day Festival this evening and we are confident of getting off to a flying start with high hopes of one of last years big race victors scoring in the feature while Mr Galway Dermot Weld can get off the mark in the opener.
Starting today we will be summarizing every race on the Galway card in order to eke out the best value bets on the DAQ over the seven days.
Alfred Nobel (11/8-5/4) made it 5 winning naps from 6 in the last week when coming late to land the Pheonix Stakes yesterday and we also collected with our saver Tovaria (10-8/1) in the Curragh opener to give us a profit some 30 points for July to date.
WGHOTEL.IE & HITELMEYRICK.IE NOVICE HURDLE 2m
Dermot Weld is the one trainer who invariably ‘makes hay’ at this Festival when his runners usually benefit from the better summer ground but though the good will not be in todays ground description there are good grounds for supporting his runner in the opening contest – a 4yo novice hurdle. His Sadler’s Wells gelding Gratified has only raced twice over hurdles and the Dennis O’Regan ridden runner can beat the four previous hurdle winners in the line up. The contest in which the Weld challenger finished a well supported third in a Bellewstown novice earlier this month could hold the key to the outcome of this race. On that occasion Tony Martins Honour The World got up close home to ‘nail’ the well supported Wikaala with the favourite and well backed Gratified five lengths back in third with Vivaldi back in sixth. Strictly ‘on the book’ the winner holds the edge on Wikaala on 5lbs better terms but that rival seems to have appreciated the much easier ground when opening his account in style in a modest Ballinrobe maiden hurdle last week but Welds charge who has scored on soft over 1m 5f on the flat and has the most score for improvement on just his third start over flights.
GALWAYBAYHOTEL.COM HANDICAP HURDLE 2m
With reservations about the leading market contenders here it can prove profitable to search elsewhere for the winner of this open looking handicap. Hunting Tower is not a straight forward ride but has the assistance of Ruby Walsh but could be vulnerable on the ground while the ground could also be against the Noel Meade runner Jewel Of The West who sports first time blinkers. Three runners who could be suited by the conditions are No One Tells Me, Green Tobasco and Glitter Baby. The former is one of two runners from the Jessica Harrington yard (maiden Good Old Thyme being the other) and the 4yo filly boasts form on the ground and knows how to win on the evidence of her Wexford and Punchestown hurdle successes while her third to Sarteeano in her first handicap at Fairyhouse was a decent effort. However she is now 7lbs higher and the vote goes to the former Michael O’Brien trained three time all weather winner (Dundalk) Green Tobasco who is fairly unexposed since he has only raced 3 times over flights but he did display ability on penultimate run at Punchestown before failing to justify favouritism at Down Royal on better ground subsequently. Though he may have something to find on the form book he looks to be on a decent mark and a 7lb claimer brings the 6yo to a decent mark. Paul Cashmans Glitter Baby boasts win and placed form here on the flat on yielding ground in the past and she could be worth a place bet.
RADISSONHOTELGLAWAY.COM EBF MAIDEN 7f
This maiden has tended to turn into a match between Dermot weld and Aidan O’Brien in latter years and this years renewal looks set to follow that trend. The once raced pair of Banyan Tree and Stunning View do duty for the O’Brien and Weld camps respectively and the vote goes to the Weld runner who looks set to go off at cramped odds following his fine second in a decent looking Curragh maiden a month ago. Banyan Tree went down through lack of experience to his stable mate and fellow debutant Await The Dawn at Naas over a mile less than a week ago on testing ground and he should go close if building on that but the race may come too soon. There are some interesting newcomers in the line up and it is the Kevin Prendergast trained Zayaan who appeals most though he probably will need to be above average to lower the colours of the favourite.
CARLTON.IE/GALWAYCITY HANDICAP 2m
Feature event on tonights card and one of the major prizes on offer for the amateur riders during the Festival. Truckers Delight will be popular under Brian O’Connell following his win in a similar Curragh contest a month ago as the 8yo scooped a win and place from 3 efforts at the corresponding Festival last year!. However an 8lb hike in the weights will not make things easy and he would be suited by a better surface – despite his easy success in a handicap hurdle at Punchestown in April. It is the two of Truckers Delights vanquished rivals on that occasion who appeal as the most likely winners of this contest however. Dreamy Gent - trained by Jessica Harrington - was beaten some 2 1/2L lengths on that occasion and is now 9lbs better off when the claim of the trainers daughter Kay is taken into account and the 7yo low weight could be exploited from the front here – a tactic which yielded a win in a novice hurdle and a chase on this track in the past. Nevertheless the vote goes to the John Kiely trained Indian Pace who finished fifth in the corresponding fixture last year on unsuitable good ground before landing the Galway Hurdle 3 days later. Though he is only 3lbs better off with the winner Truckers Delight on Curragh running he is guaranteed to be suited by the ease in the ground and his 7lb claimer has proved most capable ‘between the flags’ in recent times. There are plenty of dangers to the selection and Noel Meades Fisher Bridge looks on a tempting mark but the stable does not inspire confidence at the moment while Dermot Weld is going for 3 in a row in this race and he runs the top weight Ghimaar who boasts decent form but the 4yo could be just too high in the handicap. A likely outsider at generous odds is course winner Sophocles who failed to get in a blow in that Curragh contest last time.
CLAREGALWAYHOTEL.IE HANDICAP 7f
Probably the most difficult race of the evening and a tentative vote goes to the Andrew Oliver trained Lift The Gloom under the promising 5lb claimer Garry Carroll in this 3yo contest despite being drawn in stall 1. This grey has been running consistently well of late and was not beaten that far on his last couple of runs on yielding and better ground but he has shown some promise on easier ground in earlier attempts. In a race where cases can be made for several it could be the unexposed Dermot Weld trained Haunting Melody in first time blinkers who could provide the main danger though he has not got the best of the draw either while the Liam Burke trained Bahamian Reward under Paul Townend is another to consider having just shown a little in his four starts to date.
HOTELMEYRICK.IE & GHOTEL.IE HANDICAP 1m 4f
Another tough handicap in which there could be an edge in siding with the lower weighted runners in this 3yo handicap which stamina will prove the deciding issue.
Art Broker is obviously a horse on the upgrade and Dermot Welds Pivotal colt landed his maiden at the third time of asking in fine style a fortnight ago on heavy and the pat Smullen ridden runner has decent prospects despite a high weight. Other last time out winners include Loch Song from the in form Tracey Collins yard who opened his account in Ballinrobe last week over 10f on yielding and the Joseph Murphy trained The Pier who looked suited by softish ground and a step up in trip on latest when staying on soundly to land a Killarney 1m 3f hc two weeks ago and is now just 4lbs higher in the weights. However the marginal vote goes to the Jessica Harrington trained Mosstwown who admittedly has been beaten some way when placed in all three starts to date but he gets in here off a low weight and has the assistance of the useful 5lb claimer Shane Foley and the son of Dilshaan is better off to the tune of a stone for a length beating by another last time out winner in Penthesilea Eile when finishing one placing behind in a Curragh maiden on soft over the distance at the Curragh a month ago.
IRELANDHOTELS.COM INH FLAT RACE 2m
Soft ground bumpers tend to play against the chances of newcomers but the claims of three of the bigger yard debutants cannot be overlooked here. With the bumper ‘king’ Willie Mullins saddling the 5yo Hayabusa (Patrick Mullins), Galway ‘king’ Dermot Weld responsible for the 6yo New Rules (Robbie McNamara) and Jessica Harrington’ 4yo making up an interesting threesome if the market speaks in their favour. The call here could be the Mullins runner but the two against the field boasting experience are the appropriately named Do The Bookies and the once raced Honorary Title. Do The Bookies represents the in form ‘Shark’ O’Hanlon yard and the son of Heron Island ran quite well on debut when finishing a close third on heavy ground to unbeaten point to pointer Ballymak in a controversial Down Royal contest before failing on better ground on only subsequent effort. However the solution could prove to be the youngster and Paul Nolan trained Honorary Title whose only start saw him finish a fair sixth behind the well supported Dermot Weld trained Universal Truth in a fair Limerick bumper on yielding to soft in early April when unfancied in the betting. With the benefit of the run and a useful 7lb claimer on board he could account for Hayabusa and New Rules.
ADVICE
BET 4pt win GRATIFIED 5-10 Galway
BET 2pt win (saver) WIKAALA 5-10 Galway
BET 3pt win 1pt place GREEN TOBASCO 5-45 Galway
BET 1pt win (savers) NO ONE TELLS ME and GLITTER BABY 5-45 Galway
BET 5pt win STUNNING VIEW 6-20 Galway
BET 5pt win (nap) INDIAN PACE 7-00 Galway
BET 1pt win (saver) DREAMY GENT 1pt win 1pt place SOPHOCLES 7-00 Galway
BET 1pt win LIFT THE GLOOM 7-35 Galway
BET 4pt win MOSSTOWN 8-10 Galway
BET 3pt win (saver ) THE PIER 8-10 Galway
BET 2pt win 1pt place HONORARY TITLE 8-40 Galway
BET 1pt win (saver) DO THE BOOKIES 8-40 Galway
We are now recording the daily profit and loss of Ireland's Eye to help readers gauge the current form of the service. We will provide the profit / loss on the previous day to a £1 level stake on each selection (eg: a 5 point bet = a £5 stake). In the interests of consistency the profit / loss will be recorded at SP prices, however BETDAQ users can reasonably expect to beat SP in the majority of races.
Sunday's Return was: PROFIT 13.25 points
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