I’D expect to have around 10 maybe 12 runners over the course of the week at Galway. It’s very disappointing that they won’t allow more people in as it just wasn’t the same last year, but at least owners can go and that is a big plus. Everyone want to have a runner in Galway and there is great prize money, and we think that we have a nice team going there.
Angel’s Trumpet
4yo gr g (024952-15)
Dark Angel - Daneleta
Cancer Trials Ireland
He runs for Cancer Trials Ireland and he won earlier in the year and he’ll run in a flat handicap probably earlier in the week. The ground was too quick for him the last day at Roscommon but he won for us earlier in the season on slow ground at Killarney.
Belfast Banter
6yo b g NH: (22531256211-)
Jeremy - Sumtin Nice
Direct Bloodstock
He’ll go for the Galway Hurdle. He won the County Hurdle at Cheltenham and followed that up winning the Grade 1 novice hurdle at Aintree.
I am hoping that he’ll make the cut and we won’t know for until next week. The race is worth so much money that the better horses can run in it as it is a compressed handicap.
Off his rating, I’d be disappointed if he didn’t get in.
He has won his maiden hurdle around Galway and he seems to be in super form. We gave him a short break and freshened up after Aintree and this race was always the plan for him.
He loves good ground, and he likes a really strong pace to aim at, so he ticks a lot of boxes.
He’ll need a lot of luck around there but if he gets that, you’d like to think that he has a big chance. Ber rides him out all the time and she’s delighted with him.
Butterflyvespiere
5yo b m (450-214)
Montmartre - Rue Tournefort
Winning Ways Enigma Syndicate
She ran a cracker the last day – they didn’t go fast enough for her at Sligo. The mares’ handicap hurdle is the plan for her, and they will go a good gallop around there which will suit her. Ground isn’t an issue for her, she goes on any ground.
Courting Flow
5yo b g (P/6-323)
Court Cave - Gowiththeflo
Direct Bloodstock
He has run well in a few maidens and I’d say he’ll go for the two-and-a-half-mile maiden hurdle. He seems to be improving.
Dance Emperor
6yo b g F: (-238801)
Holy Roman Emperor - Dance Avenue
Kieran Leavy & Jonathan Fox & Lorcan Cribbin
He ran well there last year and he has improved out of the stalls – he used to be slow out of them and he has won for us this year. He is in good form and if he makes the cut, he’ll go for a flat handicap.
Faithful Prince
3yo b g (570-0)
Bungle Inthejungle - Lovesome
Dervill Dolan
He is not with us that long but he seems to have a nice mark and he’ll have a few options down there and he might go for one of the handicaps. He’s in good shape.
Disco Boots
3yo ch f F: (420-1)
Belardo - Nightswimmer
Ballygreany Stud
She won her maiden well at Killarney during the week and she’ll have plenty of entries in Galway. I might even put her in the fillies’ listed race as I’d love to get some blacktype for her.
She will definitely improve for Killarney which was her first run of the season and while she might lack a bit of experience to take on seasoned horses around Galway, I’d say she’ll go there.
Esperti
4yo b g NH: (-2)
Presenting - Elsie
Direct Bloodstock
He’s a nice horse and was second in a four-year-old bumper and he has come from that, and I’d say he’ll head over there, probably for the four-year-old bumper. He’ll be a nice horse to go jumping with later in the season.
Father Ailbe
6yo b g NH: (4P/779-) F: (30/160-68)
Excelebration - Ms Sophie Eleanor
J O Browne
He is a nice horse and has settled in well. He is not here that long but he’ll for one of the flat handicaps over a mile and a half/two miles. He has run well around there before.
Insane Bolt
5yo b g NH: (230PF-06) F: (522540/8)
Slade Power - Rahaala
Normal People Partnership
We claimed him for a group of lads who want a runner in Galway, and he’ll run twice down there on the flat and over him hurdles. He should be a real fun horse for the summer festivals.
Peregrine Run
11yo b g NH: (F4-4382) F: (4/3350-8)
King’s Theatre - Masriyna’s Article
V Byrne
I didn’t put him in the Plate but I did put him in the Galway Hurdle, and he could go there, but I’d say it’s more likely that he’ll run on the flat. We ran him in the Plate last year and it more or less bottomed him for the rest of the year. He owes us nothing and Ber rides him out a lot here and he looks great and assuming he gets a bit of nice ground, he’d have a chance.
Quaker Island
6yo b g NH: (503-31)
Yeats - Clonloo Lady
G O’Dowd
He’s a grand horse and he won very well on his first run over three miles for us at Wexford. Again, he’ll have plenty of options and he’ll go for one of the staying handicap hurdles.
Rocco Bay
5yo b m
Shirocco - Ghillie’s Bay
Ms Bernadette Leigh
She is a half-sister to a few bumper winners and we like her. She will go for the mares’ bumper.
Skippin Court
4yo b g NH: (-32)
Court Cave - Tomboy
Dexys Midnight Runners Syndicate
He has run well in two maiden hurdles and he is improving. He likes a bit of good ground, and he has the option of a maiden hurdle, or we might run him in a bumper.
Soaring Monarch
4yo b g F: (/0142244-1)
Free Eagle - Little Live Wire
Basil Holian
He’ll go for the Galway Mile. He ran twice down there last year and was unlucky not to win around there – he carried 10st 5lb when second on the Sunday last year which was a massive run.
We know that he handles the track very well, so we’ve been aiming him at this race all season. He won well at Roscommon, and he needed to win there to guarantee that he’d make the cut for the race. He’s rated 91 so he will hopefully get in and ground isn’t an issue for him.
Assuming he gets a bit of luck with the draw, I think he’ll go there a contender. We had a chat with Basil last year and it was agreed that we’d sit on the fence and wait and have a go at that race.
Surprise Package
5yo b g NH: (20372-1)
Le Fou - Suetsu
Paul Leech
He won the Red Mills Final at Punchestown and he is rated 126 and he has a couple of options. At the minute, I am leaning towards the Listed Novice Hurdle. There is the two-and-a-half-mile winners’ race there for him as well – he’ll go for one of them. He had a little break after Punchestown and he is in brilliant form.
Shamad
7yo b g F: (10/70-0205)
Shamardal - Maryellen’s Spirit
Direct Bloodstock
He has good form around there and if the ground remains good, he’ll go for one of the mile-and-a-half handicaps down there.
Visionarian
6yo b g (1/1225-1)
Vision D’Etat -La Gree
Basil Holian
He has good form around Galway and he has an entry in the Galway Hurdle, but I’d say it’s more likely that he’ll go for the two-and-a-half-mile handicap hurdle later in the week.
He looks great and I’m really happy with him and he’ll have plenty of options. There is the 0-140 hurdle over two miles for him too.