Galway Hurdle Ante Post Tips
Paddy Mullins – Bialystok & Zarak The Brave
Frank Hickey – Captain Conby & Da Capo Glory
Fran Berry – Glan & Buddy One
*Odds quoted on the widget are Future Racing / Antepost prices which means that if your selection does not run in the race for whatever reason – you will lose your stake under traditional Antepost rules
Galway Thursday – Galway Hurdle – 17:05
Paddy Mullins – Bialystok & Zarak The Brave
I’ve won this race three times despite never thinking I’d even get to ride in it. I don’t know if I’ll be riding Sharjah here yet. We went to Tipperary for a race worth €70k so we’d said we’d take a chance. I was probably too confident on him and rode him too far back and he was beaten. He has the option of a Beginners Chase here too.
When he won the Galway Hurdle he was rated 146. He’s 152 now and he’s five years older. I don’t know what Willie (Mullins) will do, but the plan was to maybe go chasing. He might not run in the Galway Hurdle. Bialystok, Tekao and Zarak The Brave all have serious chances though. The four-year-olds Zarak The Brave and Tekao really stand out, they’re both only four year olds. Only one other four year old has won this race in the last four years, Peregrino Diamond. French-bred four year olds are different beasts, they’re not like Irish four-year-olds at all. Prairie Dancer was a four-year-old in it last year too.
Tekao is much better than his mark of 133. It’s just a case of if can get the bit of luck in a big-runner handicap like the Galway Plate. He boiled over in the Fred Winter in that false start at Cheltenham. He ran very well at Punchestown when third then got a break and ran unplaced at Tipperary. Hopefully, that’ll have him ready for Galway. At a mark of 133, he has to be better than that, it’s just a case of can he get the bit of luck.
Zarak The Brave is rated 145 but could be Grade 1 class in time. He’s run creditably behind Lozziemouth and Gala Marceau. He missed the middle of the season with colic so he has the potential to be better than his runs in the spring.
Bialystok has a lot of speed. I can’t wait to get back on the Flat with him. He didn’t handle the soft ground over the winter very well, he’s a real good ground horse. The hill climb at Galway is a bit of a concern and he’s 6lbs worse off than Tekao. Zarak The Brave is the one to take at the current prices.
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Frank Hickey – Captain Conby & Da Capo Glory
All of Willie Mullins’ entries interesting. However, I’m looking at two from other stables who may be under the radar in the market.
Captain Conby has never actually raced over two miles and considering how strongly he travels through his races it could be a fit as there’s loads of times he’s failed to get home over further. Look at the Cheltenham Festival and the 2m 5f Coral Cup last March. He tanked throughout the race and looked like he would be involved at the finish but fading to finish sixth. He’s done that many times and a strongly-run two miles might suit him better. He’s rated 137 and is definitely capable of winning a good handicap off that mark. He had a spin on the Flat at Roscommon recently so you’d imagine it’s all systems go for Thursday’s highlight.
Padraig Butler trains Da Capo Glory. He’s unexposed and was very disappointing on his one handicap start. He was well backed for that race at Fairyhouse but never got into it at all. He has form though when second to El Fabiolo and second to Grangeclarewest and beat Ash Tree Meadow at Punchestown.
He finished only fifth in the Grimes Hurdle over two miles at Tipperary recently on decent ground. Although you could make the case he wants 2m 4f, a strongly run two miles off a rating of 138 could see him hit the frame at least. He’s also got a handicap win in him off this mark at some stage.
Fran Berry – Glan & Buddy One
Glan was very impressive recently in a maiden Flat Race at Roscommon and finished fourth in this contest last year. A year older now she has a nice handicap hurdle like this in her. Buddy One is locally trained by the Gilligans and should’ve won the Martin Pipe Race at Cheltenham but hung badly left to finish third to Iroko.
He should’ve won on the Flat at Killarney last week as well but found trouble in running. His better form is over 2m 4f (when second to Fennor Cross at Aintree) but again, a strongly-run two miles will allow him to travel smoothly and with the stamina-sapping uphill finish, he looks a good each-way price.
Galway Hurdle Ante Post Tips
Paddy Mullins – Bialystok & Zarak The Brave
Frank Hickey – Captain Conby & Da Capo Glory
Fran Berry – Glan & Buddy One
*Odds quoted on the widget are Future Racing / Antepost prices which means that if your selection does not run in the race for whatever reason – you will lose your stake under traditional Antepost rules
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