Our Irish racing guru has a horse-by-horse guide to today's Tote Galway Plate plus a 1-2-3-4 verdict for the huge betting heat.
1. Senecia (Vincent Halley/Johnny Barry)
A shock winner of the Grade 2 Webster Cup at Navan in March last year, and of a handicap hurdle at Killarney in May 2024, he put up one of the best performances of his life on his latest run when he made all the running to win the Grade 3 An Riocht Chase back at Killarney. He was game in victory that day, keeping on well to see off the challenge of Three Card Brag, with Jesse Evans back in third. A 5lb hike for that takes him up to a career-high mark of 153 though, and that makes it difficult. He was well beaten in the race last year off a 3lb lower mark.
2. Three Card Brag (Gordon Elliott/Kevin Healy)
One of five potential runners in the race for Gordon Elliott, who has been responsible for five of the last 10 winners, he had no luck in the race last year, he was one of the chief sufferers of the false start and he was always playing catch-up. Second in the Kerry National on his next run, he was good in winning at Cheltenham in October, and he ran a big race in the Coral Gold Cup at Newbury in November to finish second behind Panic Attack. He warmed up for this nicely with a good run behind Senecia at Killarney last time over a trip that was surely sharper than ideal, and he should appreciate the step back up in trip.
3. Funiculi Funicula (Willie Mullins/Paul Townend)
A progressive young chaser of Willie Mullins’ who was impressive last time in winning a listed novices’ handicap chase at the Punchestown Festival that has been a really good pointer to the future in the past. That is a race that Willie Mullins has won now seven times in the last 10 years, including with Kemboy and Asterion Forlonge. The handicapper raised him by 8lb for that win to a mark of 149, but he is only six and he has raced just four times over fences. He has the potential to improve again, and he is Paul Townend’s choice.
4. Gorgeous Tom (Henry de Bromhead/Patrick O’Brien)
He hasn’t won since he won a Grade 3 novices’ chase at Cork the season before last, but he has run some big race in defeat in the meantime, including when second in the Grade 2 intermediate chase at Down Royal early last November, and when fourth in the Coral Gold Cup at Newbury four weeks later. You can easily allow him his run last time in the Grand National. He will love the ground, the distance is probably close to optimal for him, and his rider is good value for his 5lb claim.
5. Will The Wise (Gavin Cromwell/Keith Donoghue)
He ran a big race to finish second in the Plate at the Cheltenham Festival in March, and he stepped forward from that next time when he won the Topham, reversing places with the Plate winner Madara. He hasn’t run since then, but it is probable that this has been his target for the last three and a half months. The Irish handicap rating off which he will race is just 5lb higher than the British mark off which he won the Topham, and that is fair. A seven-year-old who has raced just eight times over fences, he has the potential to continue his progression, he goes well on the ground, and he goes well at Galway. He ran there twice last October, he finished second in a beginners’ chase and then won a rated novices’ chase. He is one of the big contenders.
6. Jesse Evans (Noel Meade/Sam Ewing)
His record at Galway is remarkable. He has finished second in the Galway Hurdle twice, he has finished fourth in it once and he has finished second in the Plate, last year, when he gave best only to Western Fold. He is 10 now, but he is 2lb lower in the handicap than when he finished second in the Plate last year, and he proved that he retains all his enthusiasm for racing when he beat Blood Destiny and Classic Getaway and subsequent winner Lisleigh Lad in a conditions’ chase at Listowel last month. His trainer has his horses in really good form these days, and, a Galway stalwart who has twice trained the Plate winner, he is already on the board at the meeting this year.
7. Ol Man Dingle (Eoin Griffin/Ricky Doyle)
He goes there in tremendous form. Third in the Mayo National at Ballinrobe in May, when the near-three-mile trip may have stretched him, he improved on that last time when he came back in trip and won the Galway Plate Trial at Kilbeggan last month. A 5lb hike for that takes him up to a mark of 145, but that is still 1lb lower than his peak, and, winner of a Grade 3 novices’ chase at Cork last November, he has a touch of class.
8. Perceval Legallois (Gavin Cromwell/Harry Cobden)
He completed a rarely-completed Leopardstown double two seasons ago, when he won the Paddy Power Chase at the Christmas Festival and followed up by landing the listed handicap hurdle the Dublin Racing Festival. A faller on the first circuit in the Grand National on his next run, he hasn’t won again since, but he put up his best performance for some time when he finished second to Solitary Man in the Midlands National at Kilbeggan last time. His mark of 144 is just 2lb higher than the mark off which he won the Paddy Power, he is the mount of Harry Cobden, and he will be advantaged if this turns into a stamina test at the trip.
9. Downmexicoway (Henry de Bromhead/Darragh O’Keeffe)
Progressed nicely last season, his first over fences, winning a handicap chase at Gowran in November and rounding off his season by finishing fourth in the Plate at the Cheltenham Festival. He has three lengths to make up on Will The Wise on that run, but he is 9lb better off with him, and he didn’t have a great run through the Cheltenham race. He has to prove his stamina for this trip, but he has raced just five times over fences, and he has lots of scope for further progression. His trainer has his horses in really good form, he has won the Plate twice, and the excellent Darragh O’Keeffe has chosen to ride Downmexicoway in front of Nouvotic and Gorgeous Tom.
10. Rocky’s Diamond (Declan Queally/Michael Kenneally)
Winner of the Galmoy Hurdle last season as a five-year-old and fourth in the Stayers’ Hurdle in March last year, he looked like an exciting recruit to fences when he won his beginners’ chase at Galway in September last year. His season didn’t pan out as it looked like it might at that stage but, back he is back at Galway, where he is one for one, and he is down to a chase mark of 143, 5lb lower than his hurdles mark.
11. Nowwhatdoyouthink (Gordon Elliott/Jack Kennedy)
He did really well for Ray Hackett last spring, winning a Grade 3 novices’ chase at Cork in April, and then running a big race to finish third in the Grade 1 Dooley Insurance Group Novice Chase at the Punchestown Festival. He was a little keen through the early stages of that race, but his jumping was fast and fluent and he travelled best of all to the second last fence. The handicapper raised him by 6lb for that run to a mark of 142, but that was more than fair, three of the other four horses who, with him, filled the first five places at Punchestown were rated in the 150s. He has since joined Gordon Elliott, a quintuple winner of the Plate, and the champion jockey takes over.
12. Reverend Hubert (Charles Byrnes/Philip Enright)
Victorious on the flat and over hurdles in his last two runs, he hasn’t run over fences since he finished sixth in a Grade 3 novices’ chase at the 2024 Galway Festival. He is a classy individual though, he has a rating of 95 on the flat, and he obviously goes into the race in good form. He is interesting, back over fences.
13. Maxxum (Gordon Elliott/Danny Gilligan)
He was well beaten in the Mayo National at Ballinrobe on his latest run, but he is a real stalwart, a Boyne Hurdle winner and a Rathbarry & Glenview Studs Hurdle winner. He won nicely over fences at Clonmel in April, and he gets to race off a chase mark of 141, which is 5lb lower than his hurdles mark. He is still lightly raced over fences, and he will be the mount of Danny Gilligan, who has won two of the last three renewals of the Plate. He wouldn’t mind a little drop of rain though.
14. Nouvotic (Henry de Bromhead/Mike O’Connor)
He was impressive in winning a Grade 3 handicap chase at the Punchestown Festival, leading from flagfall and jumping well, and coming home 10 lengths clear of his closest pursuer. He was rewarded with a 10lb hike for that, and he was beaten off his new mark of 140 at Wexford last time, but he is only seven and he has raced just six times over fences. His prominent style of racing is a positive in the context of the Galway Plate, and he retains the potential to go beyond the handicap rating of 141 off which he will race.
15. Buddy One (Paul Gilligan/Sean Flanagan)
A highly talented hurdler two years ago, fourth in the Stayers’ Hurdle and second in the Liverpool Hurdle, he hasn’t reached those heights yet over fences. Below his best this year so far but, but he is trained by Galwayman Paul Gilligan, and you can be sure that this race has been on his radar for a while.
16. King Alexander (Willie Mullins/Daniel King)
A progressive chaser, he was impressive in winning his beginners’ chase on Red Mills Chase day at Gowran in February, and he ran a big race to finish fourth in the Jack Richards Novices’ Chase at Cheltenham in March. He hasn’t run since he was well beaten by Nouvotic at the Punchestown Festival in April, but he was favourite to beat Nouvotic that day, and he is 11lb better off with that rival now. The red-hot Daniel King is a fascinating booking by the champion trainer.
17. King Of Kingsfield (Gordon Elliott/Joshua Halford)
He hasn’t been in great form since he won a Grade 3 novices’ chase at Punchestown last October, but he will appreciate the ground, and he is one for one at Galway, he won the Latin Quarter Beginners’ Chase at this meeting last year, he is trained by Gordon Elliott, and Josh Halford has been going great guns since he turned conditional.
18. Spread Boss Ted (Willie Mullins/Brian Hayes)
He is nine years old now, but he is lightly raced for his age, he has only raced 12 times in his life and just four times over fences. Fourth in the Albert Bartlett Hurdle as a novice hurdler, he led home a Willie Mullins-trained 1-2-3 in a beginners’ chase at Naas in March, and he ran well on his handicap bow to finish third behind Finiculi Finicula in that listed novices’ handicap chase at the Punchestown Festival. There could be more to come from him.
19. Solitary Man (Enda Bolger/Aidan Kelly)
He is not just a Killarney specialist, as he proved when he won the Midlands National at Kilbeggan last time. He is 7lb higher now than he was then, he is up to a mark of 139, but that is still 4lb lower than his peak, and we know that he goes into the race in good form.
20. Ballygunner Castle (Willie Mullins/Danny Mullins)
Another who ran in the listed novices’ chase at Punchestown that Finiculi Finicula won. He was a half a length behind his stable companion Spread Boss Ted at Naas in March, and he was over four lengths behind him at Punchestown. He hasn’t won yet over fences, but there is still plenty of potential upside to him, and this trip is close to ideal.
21. Barry Lyndon (Dermot McLoughlin/JJ Slevin)
He was good in winning the Pat Taaffe Handicap Chase at Punchestown last time, when he charted a wide path and stayed on best of all to win nicely. He is 6lb higher now, but that was just his fifth chase, he has the potential to improve again, and JJ Slevin is two for three on him.
22. Conyers Hill (Paul Nolan/Alan O’Sullivan)
He doesn't win as often as he should, but he is talented and he has run some big races in defeat, including when finishing fourth in the Paddy Power Gold Cup at Cheltenham last November, and when finishing second in the Mayo National last time. He could go well again.
Reserves
23. Jalila Moriviere (Willie Mullins/Mark Walsh)
Sixth in the Galway Hurdle last year, she ran well to finish second in a listed handicap chase at the Punchestown Festival over an extended two miles off a mark of 130. She is 5lb higher now and, while she retains plenty of scope for further progression, she has to prove her stamina for the Galway Plate trip. Her trainer and jockey have each won the race twice.
24. Boston Rover (Gordon Elliott/ - )
He notched up a hat-trick over fences in the summer and autumn of last year, before being pulled up on soft ground in the Munster National in October. He could finish only fifth in the Midlands National at Kilbeggan last time, so he is going to have to bounce back from that, his first run back after a break.
25. Ballybawn Belter (Liz Doyle/ - )
She was good in winning the Listed Tim Duggan Memorial Chase at Limerick over Christmas, her first win over fences. She has been beaten three times since, but she is down to a mark of 128 now, just 4lb higher than the mark off which she won at Limerick, and she was only just beaten in a handicap chase at Galway in October over the Plate course and distance.
Verdict:
1. NOWWHATDOYOUTHINK
2. Finiculi Finicula
3. Downmexicoway
4. Will The Wise
5. Nouvotic
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