Galway Festival Friday 4th August
Friday is the 5th Day of the Galway festival, and it looks to be the most difficult punting card so far this week. With plenty of rain around the softer conditions have made this a much harder test, but our team have looked through the card and found 3 selections, starting in the opening race at 5:00.
5:00 – Guinness Galway Tribes Handicap Hurdle
TEKAO
Having been sent off the 3/1 favourite for the Boodles Fred Winter at the Cheltenham festival, Tekao disappointed his connections but that can probably be forgiven as he got lit up on the way to the start and had blown his chance before the race begun. Either side of that run he finished 3rd in a Grade 1 at the Dublin Racing festival and filled the same position in a competitive handicap at Punchestown in April. He has his quirks and keeping him calm in the preliminaries is going to be crucial to his chance, as he showed when failing to settle before his latest start at Tipperary. There are obvious risks attached, but underneath his quirks is an unexposed hurdler with Grade 1 form in the book lurking in a handicap hurdle on a mark of just 133. It is never an easy task for the 4-year-olds to take on their elders in open company, but he ran perfectly well in an equally competitive race at the Punchestown festival where he chased home 2 older and more experienced stablemates. If anything, this race looks slightly weaker than the handicaps he has been competing in and he is worth chancing if he can out it all together under Simon Torrens.
7:10 – Guinness Irish EBF Fillies Maiden
EZIVA
Dermot Weld has already been amongst the winners this week and he looks to have found a superb opportunity for his Filly, Eziva. She is a daughter of Medaglia D’Oro and brings easily the strongest form into this race courtesy of her 3rd placed finish in a Leopardstown maiden at the end of June. The winner of that race, Waltham, won a rated race there last week and looks to be destined for Group races and the fact the Eziva tried to go with him when they met pays testament to the ability she has. This looks to be a much weaker affair and given her breeding, the softer ground should also make this an easier task for her. With the yard going well and having such a good record in maidens at this meeting, it will be a surprise if she doesn’t get her head in front this time.
6:10 Guinness Time INH Flat Race
DAWN RISING
It won’t be an easy task for Dawn Rising to give weight to this field, but there is no doubt that he stands out on the balance of his form, and this looks to be a very clever piece of placement by his connections. The winner of the Queen Alexandra Stakes at Royal Ascot, he is guaranteed to appreciate the stiff finish at Galway, and he has form on soft ground over hurdles so any further rainfall would not be a cause for concern. With so much in his favour, he should be able to stamp his class on this field, especially as he comes into this race in much better form than the likes of Wordsworth and Stratum.
