THE Galway Festival

Also has an entry in the **** Handicap Hurdle a couple of days later!

i heard theres one being TEED UP for that by the Mullins massif

Had to laugh at Josephs getting 12st 6lb for the Connacht. I remember one of Welds winning it with 11-10 years ago but I cant see that taking part , its got no chance.
its guarenteed Willie will leave one of his four year olds in to get the mark for one of his others.

At last year's Festival there were 53 races in all with just 6 having Graded/Listed status...

Flat races:  18 Handicaps (including 1 Nursery)
                   9 Maidens
                   2 Non-Handicaps (1 Listed class)

National Hunt races:  8 Handicap Hurdles (1 Grade 3 & 1 Listed class)
                                   4 NH Flat
                                   3 Handicap Chases (1 Grade 3)
                                   3 Novices Hurdles (1 Listed class)
                                   2 Beginners Chases
                                   2 Maiden Hurdles
                                   1 Non-Handicap Chase
                                   1 Novices Chase (Grade 3)

The appeal of the Galway Festival is that it is a massive celebration of a community. Factories and businesses close for the week, hotels are crammed full, pubs extend opening hours and any singers, bands or buskers get an annual bonus.  People come together from all around, meet up again often for the first time since last year. There is just as much spent on drinking, laughing, socialising as there is betting on the horses. Most people that go don’t seem to be overly bothered about the horses. You have to be seen at Galway Races , it’s the Galway County’s highlight of the year. It’s a time to get out the wedding garb again , put on the glad rags, see your neighbours , meet a few celebrities, singing, dancing and kissing goodbye to a small fortune. I am very fortunate to have done Ascot, Goodwood, Epsom, Newmarket, Kempton and Cheltenham in my time watching all the big races and enjoying all the big festivals. I have experienced Silver Rings , Tattersalls, Members bars and trainers and owners bars, paddocks and V I P lounges but there is no such obvious in your face social class dividing at Balybrit . The celebrities, millionaires and billionaires can be found in the same bars , clubs and pubs at Balybrit and in downtown Glawy, you would not know who you would be speaking to. Everyone is there for the party, anyone will talk to anyone, no matter their class or creed, its that sort of place.  “The craic is mighty”.

and there is also ... the richest hurdle race in Europe



Galway rain forecast Saturday and Sunday all day, likely to be on the SOFT/HEAVY side first few days

Willie ran his certainty for the first race MONDAY ........ at Kilbeggan yesterday and it pi55ed in , what price the Rocket now ?

Never forget the young Annie Power winning there !

Maybe irishone didn't notice the Cheltenham race...

Been to Galway races but not the festival for what I like the racing wouldn’t suit me at the festival bar a couple of races ,Galway city is quite simply a fun place to be the time doesn’t matter it’s just an endless good time,as I say it wouldn’t be for me the festival but you enjoy it irishone and that’s fair enough.

Champion hurdle worth more than the stayers toprated I would imagine irishone forgot to add handicap hurdle

I realised that jimnast; I was just teasing him. 

Yes i did fail to mention handicap hurdle , I do apologise.

What i was really pointing out is that there is no race at Galway named after Kings or queens, dukes, princes or princesses, its literally a real meeting of the people where class divides either in terms of horses or people don't get hoisted upon you. Funny how the English seem to think  everything is about "class".

You would have seen many top "class" winners at Galway , its a stiffer uphill finish than Cheltenham, mainly due to an undulation off the turn uphill into the straight. Pat Smullen used to count 4 strides from the bottom of the hill then go for it , worked many many times, and Willie, D K W and A O B swear by it as a stiff test for their younger horses. Annie Power, Sharjah, Tiger Roll,Don Cossack ,Hermosa, Tahiyra all have Galway in their C V's .

I’m surprised you went to all those fixtures in England when you clearly despise the English

Yes I worked there for years but could see the way it was going and now unfortunately it has completely gone.

so is d orse runnin
in the chase or hurdle..??

I assume you mean Davy Rocket first race hurdle.
Willie has a tremendous record in first races at Galway since say 2009 something like 72 runners and 35% profit at level stakes.

Don't you just love hearing from someone who does little else than bang the drum about the past or present state of England, yet has resided here, worked here and payed taxes here for I don't doubt the majority of his living years.

Speaking personally my Father is a Londoner and My Mother is from Limerick. I think it is safe to say both countries are currently struggling and being over run.

Play another tune Irish ffs, I adore Ireland but am just as concerned for there as I am here.

the company seargeant

Thecompanyserjeant is in the Plate on Wednesday , Gavin his trainer knows whats needed.

The plate however is targeted by many trainers and J P Mcmanus the owner  , so a large bet is not recommended.

Buddy One is another interesting entry , local fellah trains it and he put it over a shorter trip on the flat at Ballinrobe the last day and it won. Its run 4 times over chase fences but he must have worked on it because it wasnt a great jumper !  His son is on it , not danny gilligan but his brother, and its finished twice in the top 5 in the stayers hurdle as mentioned above.

Tony Martin has apparently got a quiet one but its not unusual to hear that.

Horatio,

yeah I agree with you

thats why I live in Spain

You’ve got life by the Bol.ox irishone absolute genius

cheers
garlic one..
had a small antepost
w hillbilly outfit
got 9/1 just about
but small stks f fun

1st 2 from the mildmay of flete this year v well handicapped horses imo

Irish. 08.22.  It sounds bluddy brilliant.  Hope you have a ball.

Thoughts for Day 1 .... probably will be too pi55ed and not bothered to do the other 6 days so hoping for the best....NO TEARS

RACE 1  Willie wins these first races year in year out, Cheltenham Supreme on the horizon, well worth getting stuck in even if odds on DAVY CROCKETT , 1/2 will do me. A SNOW WHITE PARK e w has got Danny up , nice saver if you don't want to buy money.

RACE 2 I prefer to lay the four year olds in this type of race but the Mullins massif has done my head in on this one. Probrably go with an exacta covering all runners 'cos frankly the race has got me by the bueallox.

RACE 3 Gone were the days when this used to be a Weld v O'brien dutching exercise, low and behold we have a quiet one from D K telling everyone he had a few up his sleeve last week and an A O B cert well odds on... take yer pick !

RACE 4 Be great to see P J Smullen win it for D K Weld (11st6lb a bit to high for my money) , 7 of last 8 winners found with a MULLINS connection,can't fancy Patricks at that price,  so going small e w with Jodi on PLONTIER a relative unknown , TOLL STONE (previous Galway winner) and FILEY BAY(poor draw) go for Emmet (assuming THE SHUNTER was left in to protect their weights). MON COUER loves heavy and has a shrewdie trainer but a bad draw. Slattery has been banging the ROYAL HOLLOW drum and the jockey thinks he is going to win it as well since he got beat by the Cheltenham bumper winner last month. So i am going EW Toll Stone and Royal Hollow. Forgive me for picking two but its a trend.

RACE 5 I wont be betting anythung beyond the top 5 in the betting or the draw numbers above 5. Slattery's favourite (alleged) has an amateur on it, hes surrounded by jockeys Mcateer, Whelan and Foley , I bet he ain't leading by the top of the hill around four furlongs out, they know how to ride this track.  Jessie has won this race before and with the rain all weekend her reserve might get in as well, you always get a reserve win at the Galway Festival.

RACE 6 If Good is in the going I'd find one on the inside, but there's rain forecast all week, so I cant fancy Aidens at this stage. Jessie targets this race so respect DUN AN OIR but the draw not good, JOSEPH looks like he is up for it with 4 entries, BEAR CREEK will do me because that jockey has been on form lately,  with a bit on Miss Nifty EW at 16's .

RACE 7  Not looking for a filly or anything outside the first three in the betting and the late gamble, the market knows !

Have a good week Lads....I will !

**** Forgive me for picking three but its a trend.

Backed three tonight myself. If one wins and covers the bets I'll  be happy.
Prove Yourself
Comfort Zone
Fortuna Vera

Win or lose Irish thanks for posting   

Yes, enjoyable read, have a great week irishone sounds like a great crack. Hope you have a few winners to pay for it, but it's only money.

Is he the bloke with the flute? I did not know he was still going.

Hear the crowd.  And the song.  The place is rocking!

looks empty to my eyes

6-40, Irish mentions plontier one I’ve had my eyes on last few days so a good price was had, it’s won 15 flat races I kid you not, ok they might be c*ap races, the conditions of the race say 7lb extra for every win so that dosent apply to wins abroad or it might be carrying a record weight lol , but a interesting runner and I will back his other one, interesting but plenty plotted up here

Comfort Zone in again on Saturday. That gallop around wouldn't have taken anything out of the horse tonight.

looks empty to my eyes

packed where it matters, maybe the irish aren't daft enough to pay £140 to stand 2 furlongs away from the finish

The cheap area is sparse but when the camera panned to the right the stands were full.

is galway not like punchestown ,freebie tkts everywhere

A bit of a head this morning, breakfast beckons . Got the odds on double up yesterday but came out choked about backing Emmets wrong one ("knew he was up to something Rodney") . 

In the big race tonight previous winners do well in this so small Coeur D’or for DK, ( dodgy heart more than dodgy head ).  Laying Orandi and Dunum (Draw for either tough), Mississippi River too young for Galway and I can’t say the name properly anyway,  I’m going to have a few bob each way on young Hiliarys 33/1 shot , 8 year olds carrying that sort of weight have a good record at Galway. I remember Cairdiuiul was leniently treated by the handicapper years ago. Not sure if she still breaks J Ps young ‘uns but Hiliary is a knowledgeable woman as well as a stunner, the horse will love the pace of this race… Winning this race would be a bolt out of the blue but 33/1 Howyoulikethat ?

Hmmmm, as a matter of interest, what’s the reason
For backing hylt at 33s? 2 runs in 2 years?

Why do you want to lay Orandi? Tar

Tend to agree with you on Mississippi, as a 3yo
Was looking to back Sujet in this, weld took
It out, and runs it against 3yos, tomorrow, for 15k to the Winner
It had 8-2. Hmmmm

Yesterday's attendance up 1,000 on last year's Monday figure

If they stick the stalls on the far rail in 7f races it opens up the inside.

The groundsman should let everyone know where he is going to stick the stalls before the meeting starts, it aint too difficult to suss out the weather in Galway, its going to rain FFS

Pocket talk yes.... Dunum and Orlandi should have had no chance from a near rail set of stalls which they usually are.

Absolutely peed off after I saw where the stalls were.

Good luck to all today, the feckers do the same thing with the 12f furlong flat races, there a bit of a chute at  the top of the finishing straight but often they put the stalls on the inside of the track 50 metres from a sharp right uphill bend.  It makes a hell of a difference .

there was plenty of room by the furlong marker
the nightmare is tomorrow....  packed solid unless it pi55es down
schoolchildren bussed in and getting in to Ladies day with dodgy I D
they get a stamp on their arm when buying beer to say they have I D checked,
get absolutely pi55ed and get in the fecking way on the escalators

Chatted a lovely lass last night at the Clayton Hotel, must havee been mid to late fifties, everything going swimmingly..
I think i got three rounds and she got one , my beeer goggles lit up,  until her husband turned up,from the Nord,  bought me one, turned out to be a nice geyser, but couldnt understand a word he said
Found a taxi driver who spoke perfect afrikans but didnt know where the Connacht Hotel was , its only down the road FFS, sat nav technologu eh ?
Barry G was on a late one, told me Willie's four year old will win the Hurdle, if it gets in...yeah cheers mate.
Cant handle it now, need a break, going to a little inn in Athenry , good luck anyone giving it a go ldies day, Pandamonium , low lie the fields and me.

Race 1 .... Josephs is a lay , 5 year olds dont win this, if it is SOFT look for the outsiders
race 2 .... Outsiders race ennit keep SMALL "“Having saddled three winners from his last three runners, trainer Stephen Thorne has his string in excellent form ahead of next weeks Galway Festival. Artful Approach will take his chance in the Rockshore Handicap on Thursday . Artful Approach was a Galway winner last year so also has been targeted at the meeting.”
race 3 ....in the last 13 runs only 1 horse outside the first 5 in the draw won this race, so that narrows it down for you, and three year olds win this so that takes Mccreery's one out, id go something over tens personally
Race 4....two year olds out of stall 1 or 2 usually sh1t themselves and blow up on the hill. Jessies one has the weight off so that will do

Race 5 RICHEST HANDICAP HURDLE IN EUROPE Joseph Patrick O’Brien (2), Willie Mullins (5) and Tony Martin (4). last 11 years. look no further. WINTER FOG no (Willies top weights are lays), GAUCHER  big weight, not sure, MR PERCY 6/1 right price and if further backed in but stable nightmare recently, BATMAN GIRAC 5 year old well weighted, TOUNSIVATOR ...Cobden ? go on then , PUTURHANDSTOGETHER check the market see if the JP's are on ! JALILA MORIVIERE so Townends picked this one, wouldnt be a surprise would it ? Watch out for the reserves , Willie or JP could pull one to get LAST KINGDOM in.  EASY ennit ?

RACE 6 top 2 in the market usually sort this out between them
RACE 7 the very high draw numbers and the very low draw numbers can benefit here depending where they site the stalls, back about 3 of each , keep your eye on the reserves as well and dont spend more than a tenner in total  thats all this race is worth.
RACE 8 Another nightmare , 200/1 winner last year, Willie got a poor record in this, if its soft look for an outsider, if its good top of the market.

Have a great day , I got hammered Monday and Tuesday but got a bit back yesterday...Enjoy

Yav covered a lot of variables there. I sort of lost faith in your race reading skills,
after you stated, Dunum and Orandi couldn’t win the big mile h/cap

It is soft, and likely to get softer. Enjoy what. It’s a liars, cheats
And out right bandits gathering.. Fagan wouldn’t of lasted 5 mins there

Only one or two races in the entire week, should anyone punt in

And Irish, thou shalt not covet thy neighbours wife?
Were you looking to engage in a bit of the old, in out in out
With that weepy old davotchka ?

Ha ha...guilty as charged

Why you’re nothing but a filthy old skite bird
Take a detour to clifden, it’s full of Ukrainian refu gee’s

Will that Mr Percy not struggle to lay up early, he’s a slow and one paced
Only 6s?? Or will they go slow on the ground? Nurburgring
Hit one early, and lost it

In my defence your honour .... I actually said ""Laying Orandi and Dunum (Draw for either tough)"
"
A) I  Didn't know stalls were going to be on the far rail.....MY MISTAKE..... it opens up the inside for them

B) ORANDI DRAWN 1 (1 winner of this race in 34 years)

C) DUNUM DRAWN 2  (! winner i this race in 34 years)

Thank you M’lud, but I thought you wanted a low draw at Galway
Pundits on RTE, (really terrible entertainment) been banging on
All week, but he’s drawn high etc

Jane Mangled been govereeting it all week, ‘ya need a low draw over
7 and a mile at Gallimph ??

I have no idea if you have ever looked after racehorses but if they dont want to race they wont.
So based upon twenty years of having the cranky feckers I dont try and read races cos I aint a jockey.... but I have heard loads of excuses from them.

Roight I have no idea what any of the means, or how it relates to
The draw at Galway??

And Mr.Percy?? Will he be able to go with them, or is he too slow??

Low draw at Galway ?

Draw No    Wins /Places/ Races    Wins /Places/ Races    Wins /Places/ Races    Wins /Places/ Races
    7f   Stakes    7f Handicap    1m  Stakes    1m Handicap
1    15/20/80  (44%)    7/15/ 71   (31%)    3/7/28   (36%)    8/10/79   (21%)
2    8/19/77  (35%)    8/ 13/ 67  (31%)    5/ 6/28   (40%)    1/15/71   (23%)
3    7/16/81  (28%)    3/16/68    (28%)    2 / 7/30  (30%)    6/14/78   (26%)
4    8/15/80   (29%)    10/12/66   (33%)    4/ 9 /28  (46%)    5/9/75     (19%)
5    5/ 18/80  (29%)    9/12/65    (32%)    7/ 7 /29  (48%)    4/12/77   (21%)
6    13/17/75  (40%)    9/13/68  (32%)    5/2/28  (25%)    6/15/75   (28%)
7    6/19/80    (31%)    2/9/61    (18%)    1/10/23  (48%)    4/9/79    (16%)
8    6/13/75    (25%)    2/7/58    (16%)    1 /5/17   (36%)    6/10/73  (22%)
9    4/5/55     (16%)    2/9/54    (20%)    1/2/12    (25%)    7/10/67  (25%)
10    5/7/48     (25%)    1/9/55    (18%)    0/1/10   (10%)    6/11/68  (25%)
11    6/9/45     (33%)    3/3/52    (12%)    1/ 0 /6   (17%)    7/5/70    (17%)
12    2/6/31     (26%)    2/2/52    (8%)    0/0/4    5/4/66    (14%)
13    1/2/27     (11%)    2/11/49  (27%)    0/0/6    1/6/55    (13%)
14    1/1/20   (10%)    6/1/44   (16%)    0 /1/6   (17%)    7/3/57    (18%)
15    1/3/13    (31%)    2/5/44   (16%)    0/3/6    (50%)    2/6/48     (17%)
16    2/1/12    (25%)    2/2/35  (11%)    0/1/5    (20%)    5/11/50   (32%)
17    1/0/2      (50%)    0/1/15  (7%)    0/0/3    1/4/43    (12%)
18    0/0/3    1/2/14  (21%)    0/0/4    0/4/39    (10%)
19    0/0/2    0/0/6    0/1/2    (50%)    2/4/19    (32%)
20            0/0/0    0/3/13    (23%)   
21            0/0/2    0/2/10    (20%)


Good luck with that 16 years of samples.... HINT it depends on where they put the stalls and the ground and the experience .

Mr Percy ...sorry my friend I have no idea how he is going to run the race, only one of them jockeys might come in afterwards and say "THINGS WENT EXACTLY TO PLAN"

The others pre-race plans would have changed as soon as the race starts

Ruby will tell you, its about making the right decision at the right moment and if the horse wants it

Joseph Patrick has won the race twice from 20 entries.  Has also had two thirds. All these placed horses  were either 1st or second in the betting , with the exception of Prairie Dancer 3rd at 25/1.  This follows his trend  30 winners at the track in 16 years and 24 in the first three in the betting. He has to be respected when the money is down.

Ok Tar, have a good day

...and you mate