• REGISTER NOW!! Why? Because you can't do much without having been registered!

    At the moment you have limited access to view all discussions - and most importantly, you haven't joined our community. What are you waiting for? Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free so please, join Join Talking Horses here!

Galway Festival 2025

S

Slim

Rookie
Joined
Dec 6, 2019
Messages
3,915
800 years of oppression and still not a single Galway thread.

You burned our villages, banned our language, ransacked our churches, and raped our women—especially the redheads.
And now you won’t preview a week of 7f handicaps run on the side of a mountain with a monumental draw bias?

Anyway, trained by David Kenneth Budds, is best known for landing the mother of all touches at Downpatrick in 2023. Davy Russell gave him a good mention on an X Spaces with me the Monday before Cheltenham this year. He was a smug bastard when it finished second in the Racing Post Plate off 139. A savage run.

What I love most is how they placed him this summer. They found a diseased race in Kilbeggan where he made the running after the first—exactly the kind of tactic you need to have any chance in a Galway Plate. The form of that race isn’t worth a bollocks, but what is important is that it was a beautiful prep and his mark was left unchanged at 141.

As God is my witness, I’m going to lose as much as I can mentally cope with losing on this horse at 14/1 on Wednesday.

Now unfortunately I’ve exceeded my essay post limit for the month—it’ll reset on August 1st. Three-word posts in the meantime.
 
Last edited:
I agree, where's the justice?

Is this forum sponsored by the Oliver Cromwell Society, or something?

I have to admit the Galway Festival is a no-go area annually for me.

As an unsociable non-drinker, I'd prefer a trip to the dentist for root canal treatment to actually attending, and even as a remote punter I find it an impenetrable mass of handicaps.

Without direct information, I'm reduced to Johnny The Guesser regarding the intentions of connections with various horses in terms of what they've been up to beforehand, how much they've deceived the Handicapper relative to one another and what the plan is the week in question.

The meeting also goes on forever and if Goodwood is diluted in quality relative to Royal Ascot Galway is even more so relative to both.

I genuinely and sincerely admire anyone who can make a profit on the Galway Festival, apart from feeble attempts at humour like this, I have nothing of value to add ("again!" I hear from the cheap seats) but I shall be reading this thread like the scavenger* I am throughout the meeting!

(*A wise man once said: "Be a good judge, but also be a good judge of good judges.")
 
Comparing Galway to Royal Ascot is pointless, you just shouldn’t do it. Galway is Newton Abbot, Chester, Windsor and Worcester with some classy 2yo maidens, novice chases and highly competitive feature races thrown in. No one needs to go there wearing a top hat and tails.
 
Slim said:
800 years of oppression and still not a single Galway thread.

You burned our villages, banned our language, ransacked our churches, and raped our women—especially the redheads.
And now you won’t preview a week of 7f handicaps run on the side of a mountain with a monumental draw bias?

Anyway, trained by David Kenneth Budds, is best known for landing the mother of all touches at Downpatrick in 2023. Davy Russell gave him a good mention on an X Spaces with me the Monday before Cheltenham this year. He was a smug bastard when it finished second in the Racing Post Plate off 139. A savage run.

What I love most is how they placed him this summer. They found a diseased race in Kilbeggan where he made the running after the first—exactly the kind of tactic you need to have any chance in a Galway Plate. The form of that race isn’t worth a bollocks, but what is important is that it was a beautiful prep and his mark was left unchanged at 141.

As God is my witness, I’m going to lose as much as I can mentally cope with losing on this horse at 14/1 on Thursday.

Now unfortunately I’ve exceeded my essay post limit for the month—it’ll reset on August 1st. Three-word posts in the meantime.
Click to expand...
Don't back it on Thursday Slim it runs on Wednesday.
 
I had a quadruple max(seriously) for the Qualified Riders maiden on Wednesday.Disgusted to see he wasn't entered and further investigation revealed that he had won at Leopardstown on the Thursday of Royal Ascot.A Dream To Share.
This is a pig of a week and plenty will be licking their wounds this day next week.Pied Piper won't jump around Galway and I will be laying him in the novice chase on Thursday.Duffle Coat is a seriously slow horse who appreciates how much the track slows down his opponents.He could get placed again in the Plate.
Be careful out there.
 
Barnestormer said:
Don't back it on Thursday Slim it runs on Wednesday.
Click to expand...

LUKE said:
I had a quadruple max(seriously) for the Qualified Riders maiden on Wednesday.Disgusted to see he wasn't entered and further investigation revealed that he had won at Leopardstown on the Thursday of Royal Ascot.A Dream To Share.
This is a pig of a week and plenty will be licking their wounds this day next week.Pied Piper won't jump around Galway and I will be laying him in the novice chase on Thursday.Duffle Coat is a seriously slow horse who appreciates how much the track slows down his opponents.He could get placed again in the Plate.
Be careful out there.
Click to expand...

You think the track slows down horses in the Plate? Have you watched the race the last ten years?
 
I love Glorious Goodwood and have been going for 25 years, usually for 3-4 days but now more 2-3 days ,and i dont often come out winning either :LOL:
 
LUKE said:
I had a quadruple max(seriously) for the Qualified Riders maiden on Wednesday.Disgusted to see he wasn't entered and further investigation revealed that he had won at Leopardstown on the Thursday of Royal Ascot.A Dream To Share.
This is a pig of a week and plenty will be licking their wounds this day next week.Pied Piper won't jump around Galway and I will be laying him in the novice chase on Thursday.Duffle Coat is a seriously slow horse who appreciates how much the track slows down his opponents.He could get placed again in the Plate.
Be careful out there.
Click to expand...
A Dream To Share wasn't entered in the Qualified Riders handicap ( 6:40 on Monday ) either. JP has Dawn Rising and The Shunter in this race and two others as well. I remembered your comment at the end of March that A Dream To Share would be aimed at a race at Galway.
 
I believe that diseased novice chase at Kilbeggan was the one used to prep Grimes for the Galway Plate all those years ago.
He didn't even bother winning it , but got 10-0 or less in the Plate and they never saw which way he went.
Joseph has given Nurburgring a proper prep also tbf.
 
Ian_Davies said:
I have to admit the Galway Festival is a no-go area annually for me.

As an unsociable non-drinker, I'd prefer a trip to the dentist for root canal treatment to actually attending, and even as a remote punter I find it an impenetrable mass of handicaps.

Without direct information, I'm reduced to Johnny The Guesser regarding the intentions of connections with various horses in terms of what they've been up to beforehand, how much they've deceived the Handicapper relative to one another and what the plan is the week in question.

The meeting also goes on forever and if Goodwood is diluted in quality relative to Royal Ascot Galway is even more so relative to both.

I genuinely and sincerely admire anyone who can make a profit on the Galway Festival, apart from feeble attempts at humour like this, I have nothing of value to add ("again!" I hear from the cheap seats) but I shall be reading this thread like the scavenger* I am throughout the meeting!

(*A wise man once said: "Be a good judge, but also be a good judge of good judges.")
Click to expand...
I went once, it poured with rain and I didn’t see what all the fuss was about. I think they’ve added an extra day since then.

I’m not going to let a little thing like impenetrable handicaps put me off though. I quite fancy Fiona Maccoul in the 7.15 tomorrow. Jessie Harrington/Shane Foley is a plus, as is Stall 4, I hope.

This filly caught my eye first time out as a 2yo when 5th over 6f at the Curragh. I wasn’t the only one though as she was Fav in her next start, but disappointed, when 3rd, over 5f. Upped to 7f she won a valuable (€70,800) Auction Final at Naas beating some smart types, some now rated 90 & 100 plus. She flopped on her final 2yo start over a mile, but was taking on the likes of Whirl, Giselle, Cercene and Copacabana Sands, who have all gone on to better things.

Her 2 runs this year have been poor. However, the first was after a 195 day break, the second over 1m 1 and a half furlongs, where the jockey blamed the faster ground.

Back over 7f on yielding going, I think she is worth an investment at 25/1 (Bet365 & Paddy Power), 22/1 elsewhere for me.
 
edgt said:
I believe that diseased novice chase at Kilbeggan was the one used to prep Grimes for the Galway Plate all those years ago.
He didn't even bother winning it , but got 10-0 or less in the Plate and they never saw which way he went.
Joseph has given Nurburgring a proper prep also tbf.
Click to expand...

I wonder about him. He looks like he hates chasing.
 
Some horses love Galway and horses with Galway connections seem to love it even more. Pedigree study is very important, but for this meeting it's the human pedigrees that you need to concentrate on. Galway stables and Galway owners tend to raise their game here.

We all know about the Mees, but there are other examples. When our syndicate's Jazzaway got up late on to win the big staying hurdle handicap here four years ago, the fact that my father was from Galway was the crucial factor. The mare wasn't aware of it - of course! - and neither were trainer WPM nor jockey Conor McNamara, but they didn't have to be. The mere fact of a connection is enough to make the difference, it's a zen kind of thing.
 
Mr Whatoxo said:
I went once, it poured with rain and I didn’t see what all the fuss was about. I think they’ve added an extra day since then.

I’m not going to let a little thing like impenetrable handicaps put me off though. I quite fancy Fiona Maccoul in the 7.15 tomorrow. Jessie Harrington/Shane Foley is a plus, as is Stall 4, I hope.

This filly caught my eye first time out as a 2yo when 5th over 6f at the Curragh. I wasn’t the only one though as she was Fav in her next start, but disappointed, when 3rd, over 5f. Upped to 7f she won a valuable (€70,800) Auction Final at Naas beating some smart types, some now rated 90 & 100 plus. She flopped on her final 2yo start over a mile, but was taking on the likes of Whirl, Giselle, Cercene and Copacabana Sands, who have all gone on to better things.

Her 2 runs this year have been poor. However, the first was after a 195 day break, the second over 1m 1 and a half furlongs, where the jockey blamed the faster ground.

Back over 7f on yielding going, I think she is worth an investment at 25/1 (Bet365 & Paddy Power), 22/1 elsewhere for me.
Click to expand...
Ran on well would have placed with a clear run.
 
Barnestormer said:
Ran on well would have placed with a clear run.
Click to expand...
Squeezed out at the start and never well positioned - that's racing, there will be plenty of that this week at Galway and Goodwood.

Had been backed into 12/1, so someone else fancied it. In the tracker now for later in season!
 
Slim said:
800 years of oppression and still not a single Galway thread.

You burned our villages, banned our language, ransacked our churches, and raped our women—especially the redheads.
And now you won’t preview a week of 7f handicaps run on the side of a mountain with a monumental draw bias?

Anyway, trained by David Kenneth Budds, is best known for landing the mother of all touches at Downpatrick in 2023. Davy Russell gave him a good mention on an X Spaces with me the Monday before Cheltenham this year. He was a smug bastard when it finished second in the Racing Post Plate off 139. A savage run.

What I love most is how they placed him this summer. They found a diseased race in Kilbeggan where he made the running after the first—exactly the kind of tactic you need to have any chance in a Galway Plate. The form of that race isn’t worth a bollocks, but what is important is that it was a beautiful prep and his mark was left unchanged at 141.

As God is my witness, I’m going to lose as much as I can mentally cope with losing on this horse at 14/1 on Wednesday.

Now unfortunately I’ve exceeded my essay post limit for the month—it’ll reset on August 1st. Three-word posts in the meantime.
Click to expand...
One redhead escaped Slim.....I married her........5 kids later........you can have her back!
 
Just from a handicapping point of view, Nurburgring versus Anyway is a fun one. Anyway is 3lb better off for comfortably beating Nurburgring at Cheltenham. So why is Anyway currently three times the price on Betfair?
 
In the 5.35 tomorrow, El Champo at 33/1 appeals. His last 11 runs have all been over fences and he reverts to hurdles for this. He has run at Galway twice before and won both times (over hurdles). He has run 2 bad races recently, one in May and another in June, but after a short break (he has run well after breaks previously) there is hope he will come back refreshed and ready to go. I’m hoping he will jump out in front - and stay there (he has done before at this track and off a higher rating, but that was over 2m).
 
Last edited:

Recent Blog Posts

Back
Top