Galway Tips: Three to back on the Saturday of the Summer Festival

The opening maiden hurdle (14:00) on Galway Saturday's card features a bit of a conundrum in the shape of the two Wille Mullins-trained runners, Gamin Original and Hubrisko.

The Mullins team have been in fine form and chances are there won't be a great deal between these two, though I came down on the side of Gamin Original, who also appears to be the choice of Paul Townend.

This one hasn't been seen since running in this very contest last year, where he was upsides his winning stable companion before blundering and unseating Townend at the final flight.

That winning stable companion was Purple Mountain, who ran really well in a good handicap at this meeting a couple of days ago, giving the form a rock-solid look.

However, the lightly-raced Hubrisko is very much one to fear, for all that he was turned over at odd-on in his sole start for this stable on New Year's Day.

Mullins and owner Rich Ricci have had plenty of success with ex-French runners in the past and this one looks certain to be winning races, though I'm siding with Paul Townend and leaning on Gamin Original as my first choice in this contest.

Weld filly to do the business

I made the point a couple of days ago in this column that the Dermot Weld team haven't been in their usual tip-top Galway form, though there are signs that the tide is beginning to turn.

The master of Rosewell house had both Emile Gray and Pale Moonlight touched off in photos on Thursday and I'm expecting his Touching Clouds go one better in the maiden at 15:40 and provide team Weld with a second winner on the week.

This daughter of War Front ran a highly promising race when second at Gowran on debut and is bred to be a useful performer at the very least (dam won the Ribblesdale at Royal Ascot).

The form of that contest was franked when the fourth horse won next time, too, and I'm expecting a good amount of improvement from Touching Gold, who showed plenty of greenness in that debut outing.

Goa to strike on nursery debut

Bal A Bali is a sire that won't be familiar to too many followers of European racing but he was a smart Brazilian-bred who won several Grade 1s on the turf in America for the excellent Richard Mandella back in 2017.

Joseph O'Brien's son of Bal A Bali, Goa Gajah, makes his third start in the nursery at 16:15 and will take plenty of beating if turning up in the same form as when winning a maiden at Downpatrick last month.

He was well supported that day and made all the running before coming home two and a half lengths to the good of Lakota Seven, who himself was a winner on his next start.

An opening mark of 87 looks more than fair when you consider the form of that maiden has already been franked, while the excellent Mikey Sheehy takes off another 3lb.

The main danger may well come from Ballydoyle, with Aidan O'Brien fielding the expensively purchased Congo River.

Despite paying $400,000 for this son Mendelssohn, it appears Congo River is set to be one of his powerful stable's lesser lights, even at this early stage.

A promising Curragh debut was followed by him being turned over at odds-on last time, though he may have more to offer on just his third start.

However, I wasn't enthralled by the way he travelled there and he just looked a bit one paced to my eye.