Galway Betting: Day Seven with Niall Cronin

005 Irish Racing / Editor / 03 August 2008 / Leave a Comment

The week-long marathon finally comes to a close today. Niall Cronin marks your card...

It has been an epic seven-days at Ballybrit, with the stamina draining week drawing to close with seven-races today. It's not the strongest of cards at Galway, and a possible minefield for punters, following a trend of difficultly that built up over a week of ultra competitive racing.

We went three-days with Dermot Weld blitzing us with his Galway magic, returning eight winners and despite drawing two blanks on Thursday and Friday, but normal order was restored yesterday in the last with Rite Of Passage and he can also finish with a flourish today.

Thoughtless Moment and Suailce are the two selected to end another magical week for the Roswell House team with the latter running in the colours of the President Mary McAleese. The Singspiel filly has made four racecourse appearances finishing second on all four but the grey can fittingly open her account here at the fifth attempt.

A mile-and-a-half is the distance and Suailce has proven in her runs that she does see out a trip well. This tough 12 furlongs around Galway should be able to get the best out of her.

Weld and his stable jockey Pat Smullen can instigate the brace with Thoughtless Moment who runs in the M McNamara & Co Builders Dublin & Galway Handicap.

This seven-furlong heat is a very tricky affair but the 'DK Factor' at Galway certainly comes into account for this four-year-old daughter of Pivotal who should come on substantially from her seasonal debut almost a fortnight ago.

The likes of Ireland's Call, Slam Dunk and Almass have to be given some thought while Weld's second string Kingsdale Ocean is no slouch either but Thoughtless Moment was brought back just in time for this festival and can go one better than her length defeat behind Icemancometh at Fairyhouse.

Sunday's last race provides us with the bet of the day and while it is hardly a tricky one to spot, any sort of workmanlike price about Frascati Park has to be snapped up rapidly.

Owned and ridden by Barry Connell and trained by the shrewd Carl Llewellyn, the four-year-old son of Bach was an ultra-impressive winner of his debut at Market Rasen nearly a month ago.

While that was undoubtedly a much weaker race than this, it was the manner in which Frascati Park went about his business that day which makes him impossible to oppose.

So that is the odds-on winner out of the way in the last, but much earlier in the day a horse in the first at much bigger odds could be worth looking into for a place at the very least.

Sophist is a horse with graded winning form over hurdles and was clearly a talented sort over the sticks but set to make his chasing debut here today, the Montjeu gelding in the care of Curragh-based John McConnell can make it a winning debut in a poor race.

Sophist ran well here for a long way on Thursday, but clearly a quirky sort, he died away to eventually put in a poor showing, but a fence may the solution to get the best out of this one and he could be worth taking a chance on at a big price.

The big handicap hurdle of the day is the Tara Towers Hotel Handicap Hurdle where Red Vinto is likely to be sent off the SP favourite on Betfair following his win last time out at Limerick but here punters should stick with Tony Martin and Leg Spinner who should revel in the step up to three-miles here.

Unlucky to be balloted out of the Galway Hurdle, Martin is sure to have this one in prime form for his third winner of the week.

At the prices Red Vinto is probably likely to be around [4.0] whereas Oliver Brady's Duroob is likely to be anything from [20.0] up.

Duroob has over 12-lengths to find on Willie Mullins' charge but his last run was an improvement and with Shane Jackson taking over the reins and a valuable three-pounds off he may be one to take a chance on for a place.