Race Time: 7.50pm Meeting: Galway Festival Distance: 1m 3f 180y
Full Race Name:  Colm Quinn BMW Handicap

We haven’t got the time to work it out right now, but we wonder what the odds are of Dermot Weld going through the first six races on the card, as he fields yet another forecast favourite here in this mile and a half event that is worth a pretty impressive 16,000 Euros.

Harasava (2/1) won her first race at the third attempt last time out at Sligo over ten furlongs having finished runner up the race before at Tipperary over a mile and a half, so it will be interesting to see how she gets on over this trip this time out? A daughter of Azamour out of a Daylami mare, this may still be a touch too far to see her at her best, and although it could be seen as clutching at straws, we are brave enough to go looking for an alternative at the prices.

Loved (4/1) is the standard, as expected, Aidan O’Brien entry, a daughter of Galileo who looked more workmanlike than classy when getting off the mark at the second attempt at Limerick over eleven and a half furlongs. She will be ridden by Joseph O’Brien today and not by Seamie Heffernan who scored on her last time, which isn’t a good thing in our opinion, not decrying the jockey merely pointing out that continuity can be a good thing.

Azzuri (8/1) won last time out at Roscommon by a neck and would certainly come in to calculations if guaranteed to repeat that form, but is less than consistent having been soundly beaten the time before at Down Royal, and may still be outclassed again today (an extra six pounds from the handicapper won’t help either and a rating of 84 seems pretty harsh), so is not for us, but we are intrigued by the participation of top weight Torcedor (9/1). First time blinkers saw him win a minor event at The Curragh with any amount in hand from second favourite Gelenschik but that was only a week ago, and the form is yet to be tested.  A gelded son of the in vogue stallion Fastnet Rock, he basically beat nothing but did so very easily which makes him difficult to assess here though at the price he looks decent each way value in a race that may not actually take that much winning.

Lastly, ex jockey Johnny Murtagh has booked useful apprentice Ross Coakley to ride The Last Marju (7/1) here, and he is excellent value for his five-pound claim. The horse has placed in each of his two runs this season, with a third to Azzuri at Roscommon before going down by half a length to The Compeller at Ballinrobe. He returns here five pounds better off with Azzuri for nearly six lengths so it should be pretty close today with another run under his belt plus the riders allowance, and he is the last each way option we can suggest in a very lop sided looking contest.