Race Time: 6.50pm Meeting: Galway Festival Distance: 2m
Full Race Name:  Connacht Hotel (Q.R.) Handicap

Nineteen runners overnight will hopefully mean sixteen or more line up and a place up to fourth for each way speculators. Ted Veale (7/1) is just about the most versatile horse in training at present being equally adept on the flat, over hurdles, and even over fences, which sort of explains his position at the head of the market. Add the fact that trainer Tony Martin has won the race in both 2013 and 2014 has also shrunk his price, but have no fear – the horse is pretty decent as well! He won an amateur riders race over a mile and a half off a rating of 93 at Bellewstown under the same jockey (Steven Clements), yet gets in here off of 85 and is frankly close to impossible to oppose each way at that price.

Unsurprisingly the Willie Mullins stable are well represented and include Whiteout (8/1) amongst their two and he must have an interesting chance. He has won a couple over hurdles since joining the yard, but failed to live up to the high expectations put on him by the media, though take note he is receiving five pounds from the jolly, which will obviously at least bring them closer together. He has won once on the flat at Maisons-Lafitte all be it back in July 2014 when trained by W Figge (?), so we are not asking him to do too much more than he has already achieved.

Sarah O’Brien rides Plinth (20/1) for Aidan O’Brien and that makes the five year old of interest, especially at those odds! His six career wins have seen five over hurdles following the one on the flat, but the one thing we do know is that his jockey will have ridden him in plenty of work at Ballydoyle and know his intricacies better than most of the other jockeys will understand their mounts. As a son of Montjeu we suspect better things would have been expected back in the day, but the thoroughbred breeding side can be even more of a gamble than us just having a bet, and is even more susceptible to surprises!

Gordon Elliott’s Eshtiaal (9/1) has to be included in any combination bets, if only because the five year old will be ridden by the excellent Nina Carberry.  Twelve stone is an awful lot for any horse to carry for two miles mind, but ten again he did win last time out at York over a fraction further and ought to be there or thereabouts granted the run of the race. Lastly, we also like Modem (9/1) who sits at the bottom of the weights for Mrs Jessica Harrington.  He won when last seen at Killarney all be it only just but may well be happier dropped back a furlong and on possibly quicker ground, though as he seems to go pretty well when fresh, we suggest you ignore the gap between his races which may in fact be a positive in his case.