Alan Marron is back with his Nap, Next Best and Each-Way selections ahead of Day One at Ballybrit.
What a week we have in store from Galway this week and I am going to be on hand each and every day to give ye my best bets and hopefully we can get some winners.
We begin on Monday with an excellent card and the feature is the Connacht Hotel Q.R Handicap worth €110,000.
The remainder of the card is made up of some very competitive handicaps as normal along with a novice hurdle to start the card, a two year old maiden on the level and then a bumper to finish the card.
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NAP— PIVOTAL TRIGGER 6.10
Trainer ; Jessica Harrington Jockey ; Shane Foley Price — 5/2
This colt caught my eye last time out when he finished third behind La Dolce Vita and Hans Andersen at Tipperary in the Glenvale Stud race worth €18,000. He broke very well and was soon in front, he was joined two down and just got outbattled up the straight and faded in the final 100 yards.
The form of this race has worked out really well as Hans Andersen has since broken his maiden tag at the Curragh when he made all in impressive fashion to see off Al Riffa.
La Dolce Vita who won the race at Tipperary stepped up again when she ran a cracker to finish third in the Silver Flash Stakes (Group 3) on Thursday last behind Never Ending Story and Zoinoncent.
In terms of Pivotal Trigger I think similar front running tactics may be adopted here as he has the experience edge over his rivals and he is nicely drawn in stall four. Tiverton looks the most likely danger trained by the Master of Rosewell House, Dermot Weld in a race that he has won ten times since 2002.
Jessica Harrington and Shane Foley have had an excellent season to date and hopefully Pivotal Trigger can come home in front here and get us off to a flying start for the week.
NEXT BEST —- GAOTH CHUIL 5.10
Trainer ; Ted Walsh Jockey ; Denis O’Regan Price : 13/2
In the opener on the card I am very interested in the Michael Ryan owned Gaoth Chuil trained by Ted Walsh and will be ridden by Denis O’Regan. This mare will be in receipt of a stone from likely market leader HMS Seahorse but she as very impressive in a bumper last time out at Tipperary when she won by an ever widening fourteen lengths.
Ted Walsh was waxing lyrical after the race that she was really well bred and was entitled to do what she did off the back of her previous runs. He said that she needs a trip and that she is a lovely sweet mare who jumps a hurdle well.
There is no doubt that she will need to improve but she might be ridden close to the pace and could have the stamina needed to see off the likely market leader in the closing stages.
Her run behind Pink In The Park at Punchestown has worked out really well as the Gerard Keane trained Howaya C D and E has come out and won since along with Granny Lowrie who finished sixth on that occasion went on and won nicely in a maiden hurdle at Kilbeggan.
It is a very interesting race to open the card and I will be keeping a close eye on the market as it will likely reveal plenty.
EACH WAY SELECTION — WHISKEY SOUR
Trainer ; Willie Mullins Jockey ; Aubrey Mc Mahon Price 14-1
Willie Mullins has an excellent record in this race having won it three times in the last five years and owner Luke Mc Mahon has a similar record as Whiskey Sour and Uradel have provided him with two wins in the race in 2017 and 2018 respectively.
His son Aubrey will get the leg up here on Whiskey Sour and he was on board when this horse landed this race back in 2017 off a mark of 84. He is rated eleven pounds higher this time around but this dual purpose performer has looked better than ever in recent times having won nicely at Leopardstown back in March before getting the better of Darver Star in a sustained duel at Cork last time out.
This race will require plenty of luck in running but this horse has plenty of experience in big field handicaps having finished sixth in an Ebor at York and fourth a County Hurdle at Cheltenham.
Keep an eye out for the extra places on this race with ourselves at Bar One Racing.