Timeform provide an overview of the key things to note ahead of Sunday's action while the tip of the day runs at Haydock.
Three points of interest
Willie Mullins pair seeking Plate consolation at Galway
Among the races on the final day of the Galway Festival is the Kinlay Hostel Chase (14:55), a conditions event run over the same trip as the Galway Plate earlier in the week. Interestingly, four of the eight runners contested the big handicap on Wednesday. Two who did so were the Gordon Elliott pair Tullybeg and Hurricane Georgie. Tullybeg finished down the field in the Plate but Hurricane Georgie fared better, closing up late to finish seventh behind Pinkerton. She’s getting weight all round here and has each-way claims.
However, the pair to focus on are trained by Willie Mullins. His two also ran in the Plate, though one of those, Janidil, didn’t get very far, falling at the first. The ‘x’ on Janidil’s Timeform rating highlights his jumping frailties, but he has plenty of ability as he showed when runner-up to Allaho, trying to give his high-class stablemate weight, in the Clonmel Oil Chase last autumn. Janidil was set much stiffer tasks than this in the Stayers’ Hurdle and Grand National in the spring and with the cheekpieces back on that he wore in those two races he has sound claims on these terms if his jumping holds up.
But pick of the weights – he’s clear in the Timeform weight-adjusted ratings by 9 lb ahead of Janidil – is stablemate Easy Game who has a formidable record in events such as this. He was runner-up in the 2021 Galway Plate but has been well held in the last three runnings, making an early blunder in Wednesday’s race. But this sort of contest is much more his cup of tea – he’s going for a twentieth career success here – and at Listowel in June he won a similar event to this for the third year running with another very smart performance, beating stablemate Saint Sam who was the winner of his race twelve months ago.
Al Shabab Storm going for Chester hat-trick
Al Shabab Storm is compiling an excellent record at Chester this summer and he looks capable of completing a course hat-trick for Andrew Balding under Jason Watson in the listed Queensferry Stakes (16:05).
After going close a few times, Al Shabab Storm got off the mark for the year in a three-year-old handicap at Chester at the end of June when making all to win by nearly four lengths from next-time-out winner Jungle Mac. Al Shabab Storm has a tendency to hang left but that’s less of a handicap at Chester than it would be at many other tracks.
In any case, he’s improving all the time and followed up that success when stepped up to listed company for last month’s City Plate where he justified strong support in a race his stable had won the year before with Holguin. Going clear early in the straight, Al Shabab Storm was closed down late but had a length and a half to spare over the Princess Elizabeth Stakes winner Breege. While his last two wins have come over seven furlongs, he also went close in a handicap at the May meeting here over six and and the likelihood of a well-run race back over the shorter trip seems sure to play to his strengths.
Jim Goldie pair chasing Sunday Series bonus at Haydock
The Sky Bet Sunday Series offers a £100,000 bonus to the first horse to win three races in the series and Jim Goldie sends two runners to Haydock with good chances of cashing in on that big prize.
First up is stayer Letsbefrank who won at Hamilton and Thirsk in June to qualify for the bonus and who ran a blinder more recently on a first try over two miles to finish a close third behind Zimmerman at York. That gives him every chance in the 17:45.
Half an hour later at the other end of the distance spectrum it’s the turn of stablemate American Affair in the five-furlong handicap (18:15). He looked a sprinter to follow when running out an impressive winner on his reappearance at Musselburgh in April when always going best and drawing away in the manner of one destined for higher grades. His first bid to win another Sunday Series race was foiled at Hamilton next time but there was no disgrace in finding only the smart Desperate Hero too good in a race that has thrown up plenty of winners since.
One of those was American Affair himself as he was successful at Thirsk’s Sunday Series meeting in June when travelling strongly closer to the pace and then readily getting the better of Lethal Nymph by a length. The third-placed horse, Jer Batt, meets American Affair on much better terms here after American Affair went up another 8 lb in the weights but he tops the Timeform weight-adjusted ratings by a pound and the manner of his latest success suggests he hasn’t yet reached his limit.
Tip of the Day
Solomon – 15:45 Haydock
Flags: Hot Trainer, Top-Rated
SOLOMON began his career for William Haggas on the all-weather early this year, winning a novice at Southwell on his second start but then bumping into none other than Notable Speech when third in a conditions event at Kempton. The future 2000 Guineas winner added the Sussex Stakes to his cv earlier this week, but Solomon shaped at Kempton as though in need of further than a mile himself. After all, he’s a half-brother to Soulcombe who won the Melrose at York for the same connections before being sold to Australia where he was runner-up in last year’s Melbourne Cup. After a five-month break, Solomon was duly stepped up to a mile and a quarter for his handicap debut at York last month but didn’t get a clear run in mid-division. Heading the Timeform weight-adjusted ratings and with a ‘p’ denoting he’s still open to improvement, he looks well worth another chance.
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