Galway/ Goodwood Festivals 2014

2 against the Field for The Plate - both E/W 5 places

Caid Du Berlais 12/1 - Ran super races at Chelt and Aintree to be placed. Ground, trip and big competitive runner field all to his liking. Solid in the Market. Aimed at this for quite a while :ninja:.

Balinaslow 16/1 - Travels and jumps like a stag, didn't quite get home over 3m2f at Cheltenham. Good conditional taking another 5lbs off and eh, the trainer's not bad either :whistle:
 
Don't know what's the biggest certainty tomorrow>

That Black Panther who never seems to hold his form will lose or Estimate will win,

Votes on a post card
 
The first horse that I fancied at the meeting is tomorrow in the Hurdle. Struggling to see why Fergall isnt half his price. 33/1 is plenty good enough for me. He has a good handicap hurdle in him when last seen, and surprised that he has turned up here. Its a big pot and I think he will go very close.
 
marble said:
Checked out Purple Bay's last win at Market Rasen and was blown away by how he quickened up.
He must have a huge chance for the hurdle were he declared.
He would carry top weight, but I still couldn't see him being 16's on the day.
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Trainer sounds positive, has apparantly come out the Market Rasen race exceptionally well. This goes off a 9's chance imo.:)
 
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Great to see Noel Meade win Galway Plate at last.
A really nice horse who did it well and can hopefully go up a grade.
I remember last year he was stopped going upstairs to the seats by a security man who did not remember Pinch Hitter, Fane Ranger and Steel Duke from old.
My old friend Missunited should be a shoe in in Lily Langtry Stakes at Goodwood tomorrow.
Pity she does not go for Galway Hurdle off 144 for an extra 100K but her owners do not need the money apparently!
Ml Winters sure to do his bit for C4 viewing figures all the same.
Good to see his nephew Finian Maguire ride a winner for DKW today, 21 years after his dad rode General Idea to victory in Galway Plate.
Adrian got that ride after snatching Cathcart Cup victory on Second Schedule from General Idea the previous March with a cracking ride. Happy memories all.
 
There's a suspicion she may prefer slightly slower ground but how the f!&k is Talent (an Oaks winner and Leger runner up - confirming previously assumed stamina) only a point shorter than the once raced maiden winner Stella Bellisima, regardless of the latter's trainer ?

4/1 is an insult for a classic winner in a Group 3 just over 12 months later. Yes, she hasn't been in the same form this season but she still hasn't performed that badly and with Hughes back on board for the first time since that Oaks win and stepped back up to 14f 4/1 is surely worth taking against this lot.

Admirable as Missunited is she's very short mainly due to nicking a few lengths at Ascot and Walia has been proven as Listed class at best.


Over at Galway Dubai Prince could finally get his conditions and the 22 available on the machine could also prove too big.
 
HawkWing said:
The first horse that I fancied at the meeting is tomorrow in the Hurdle. Struggling to see why Fergall isnt half his price. 33/1 is plenty good enough for me. He has a good handicap hurdle in him when last seen, and surprised that he has turned up here. Its a big pot and I think he will go very close.
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Being too lazy to look at the race myself, I've followed you in for an interest, HW. Good luck.
 
wilsonl, I hope you are right. In the paddock at Epsom she looked as if she'd been into the pies, but in many respects is a better looking filly than last year. Hopefully she'll strip much fitter here. As regards the going it's mostly down to the failure in the Irish Oaks but Beckett blamed himself saying he'd been too easy on her after Epsom. She comes from a family who have often acted well on firm ground, so if she takes after some of her forebears she could go well on it. My biggest concern with her, as it is with all of Yawl's descendants, is that she'll settle.
 
She has shown a tendency to race a bit keenly but with Baroness Daniela and Missunited having shown form over further and both with prominent tactics it may not be such an issue.

Ironically her regular rider Crowley could end up setting the race up for her.
 
Thomas Edison had the perfect prep for this at the curragh, there's not many shrewder than Tony Martin we all know how JP likes to have his winners at Galway.

However the fly in the ointment could be Parlour Games ridden by BarryG for John Ferguson.

He has looked the business in 2 of his race over hurdles winning hard held but in between those 2 runs for some reason he ran a stinker losing to the average looking Alphabetical Order.

Something was very wrong that day as it looked like a formality turning until he did a bit of a Harchibald and stopped like shot.

Something was bothering him but ,perhaps the hood? they decided to remove it, a tongue strap applied and everything was back to normal when he hacked up at Market Rasen. He doesn't seem to harshly treated off 141 which gives him a good racing weight at 10st12lbs.

He certainly wouldn't be 16/1 if he was coming here with 3 easy wins ad he's already shown that the Stratford race is better forgotten.

He's a good traveller with a kick and with luck in running he should go close and no one rides the course better than BarryG..

Parlour Game 19.5 on BF with 4 places at around 9/2

With nothing remotely as good as Panama Hat in the race it's no surprise to see Pirate Cove being heavily backed. I can't see anything to beat him and he looks good value at anything over 2/1.

Pirate Cove 9/4
 
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Mmmmm... can see what you mean Euronymous.

Feel sorry for Crowley, as I don't think he's done much wrong, but he was 2nd to her in the Oaks and he may be 2nd here.
 
Grasshopper said:
Being too lazy to look at the race myself, I've followed you in for an interest, HW. Good luck.
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Upping the ante now Grasshopper. Led a decent handicap hurdle all the way at Kelso catching a proper tartar in Clever Cookie but beating everything else easily, doing things the hard way.

Followed up with a good plumpton win in an above-average handicap for the course (Sussex Champion Hurdle), again the hard way, and was hugely progressive to my eye.

Will have to be up in the van today in a competitive race, but best place to be in Galway. Wrong price and fingers crossed.
 
Tanlic said:
Parlour Game 19.5 on BF
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We agree on who the winning trainer could be anyway! I'm a bit blind so spotting which is which from his four contenders is going to be extra bleedin difficult!
Best of luck everyone :)
 
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