The Betway Ambassador previews his rides on Day 3 and 4 of the Galway Festival, headlined by his ride on Murcia in the Galway Hurdle.
Wednesday
Just the one ride on Wednesday in the Galway Plate (18:40), but a great ride to have on Funiculi Funicula 9/2 , and he’s a horse I’ve always thought plenty of. He’s probably just taken his time to put it all together, but he won a nice race at Punchestown last time, and I think the penny is really starting to drop with him.
The handicapper has had his say for that last win, hitting us with an 8lb rise, but I’ve always felt Funiculi Funicula could be a graded horse, so even off his revised mark of 149, he still could have a bit in hand in what is admittedly a very competitive handicap.
If you fancy Funiculi Funicula, then I suppose you can’t rule out Spread Boss Ted at a big price because their form is very closely matched. He was a bit late getting going at Punchestown behind my lad, but he hasn’t been penalised like the winner, and I think there’s more to come from him, so I couldn’t put anybody off him at an each-way price, but hopefully I’m on the right one.
Thursday
I kick off on Thursday with Soir De Garde / in the Grade 3 Novice Chase (15:20), and even though he’s had an interrupted career with us, he’s still a horse with plenty of ability. He actually returned in the spring with a very promising run behind El Fabiolo at Leopardstown, but he took a heavy fall at Cork the next day, and I’d just say that left its mark on him after that.
He’s taken ok to chasing, but he made plenty of mistakes around Wexford last time, so he’ll have to brush up on his jumping in what looks a very competitive race. Shadow Paddy of Eoin McCarthy’s has impressed me, so he probably sets the standard, but Wild Bill Hickock is another who’s taken to chasing well, so there’s plenty of good form in there, and I’d just say Soir De Garde is really going to have to put his best foot forward if he’s going to go close in this.
I’m then looking forward to Roc Dino / in the Novice Hurdle (15:55), and he’s a horse with plenty of fancy placed form to his name. He managed to bump into Mighty Park and El Cairos on his first few starts for us, but he got off the mark in good style at Downpatrick last time, and I’m hoping he can really kick on with that win under his belt.
He has plenty of experience now, which will stand him in good stead in a race like this, and I think the Galway hill will suit him and really bring his stamina into play, so I’d say he’s a real live contender in this.
Midnight Jet is the likely favourite, and off a mark of 130 we’d have a tiny bit to find on ratings. Having said that, I don’t think we’ve seen the best of Roc Dino yet, so I’m really looking forward to him.
It’s then onto one of the big races of the week, the Galway Hurdle (16:30), and you can see why El Cairos is at the head of the market for this because he looked to have the world at his feet around Christmas time, and there’s a chance he’s just better than his mark of 143. I suppose the worry when you’re looking at him would be: does he have the toughness for this because these races are much rougher and tougher than those graded novice hurdles.
Considering she’s still only a five-year-old, Murcia 13/2 has plenty of experience in big handicaps like this, so I’m delighted to be on her here. She’s a Grade 1 winner with a lovely weight on her back, and I’ll be honest, I was disappointed to get beaten on her at Killarney the last day. I thought she had the race won, but she just got mugged late on, and I’m hoping she can make amends here.
Good ground and a stiff two miles is right up her alley, and although she’ll need a bit of luck in running, she’s coming here in great form. You could make a case for most of them to be honest, but I wouldn’t be in a rush to swap Murcia for anything, and hopefully we’ll be bang in contention jumping the last.
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