Galway Festival Antepost Preview: The Irish view on the Plate and Hurdle

The Galway Plate and Hurdle have seen their roads diverge recently with the latter becoming the signature event of race week; the split began around 2009 when the two races were worth the same for the first time - the Plate had hitherto been more valuable - and now the Hurdle pays about €30,000 more to the winner.

The Hurdle has it all: prime location on Ladies' Day (by far the best-attended day of the week), a sexy sponsor in Guinness, and not least a few brilliant recent winners in Overturn, Rebel Fitz and Missunited.

The Plate on the other hand habitually plays second fiddle to the Sussex Stakes at Goodwood on the same day, is sponsored by the staid Irish Tote and has been won by forgettables like Ballyholland, Finger Onthe Pulse and Bob Lingo.

The races present contrasting betting markets this year with the Plate a wide-open affair priced 11.010/1 the field and no standout contender, while the Hurdle betting is dominated by Pique Sous.

There is some common ground however. They seem set to be dominated by those towards the head of the weights with plenty of limited performers at the butt of the handicap and there is a meaningful English challenge engaged in both; there are 12 and 14 raiders entered in the Plate and Hurdle respectively.

I'm inclined to be against the English horses as a group as they are mainly summer jumpers that have achieved marks similar to those their Irish opponents have got from much tougher winter competition.

Spring Heeled is a key horse in the Plate; not only is he entered in the race himself but he also ties in with a couple of other fancied runners. He has his chance; he goes well fresh, his Cheltenham win is strong form and he is a previous course winner. Also, his fifth as Sandown on his last start is nowhere near as bad as it looks as his jumping put him out of the race down the back only for him to run on well in the finish.

Preference however is for a pair of horses that ran against him in novice races last year; like him, they have improved since but they also find themselves appreciably better off at the weights now.

Golden Wonder is one and he wouldn't be the first horse to come from the Irish National to win this; Far From Trouble did so in 2006. One could mistake him for a stayer but his jockey was continually reining him back at Fairyhouse and he hit the front far too soon. That form is decent, he's totally unexposed with only five chase runs under his belt and he's a winner over course-and-distance.

Burn And Turn is the second one to back. Her overall profile looks inconsistent but it's all about the ground with her; her figures on good or faster under NH rules are 1242122. A mark of 136 looks fair if the rain stays away; her close up second to Spring Heeled last August when meeting trouble gives her every chance of defying it and she beat a good mare in She's Got Grit last time.

Of the fancied runners, Caid Du Berlais looks handicapped on hurdles form and isn't the easiest to win with. Art Of Logistics has to prove his stamina and two-mile handicap chase form in Ireland rarely amounts to much.

Domination is a fly in the ointment, not least because his trainer has suggested he may not run due to the severity of handicapper. His mark looks ok to me and there is no issue with his jumping despite his inexperience but he can hardly be considered to have been laid out for the race having already won a Royal Ascot handicap this summer and run twice since.

Royal Ascot form heads the market in the Hurdle with Pique Sous. I'm loathe to put up any Willie Mullins horse ante-post for any race with the trainer's penchant for late withdrawals despite previous statements intending to run; it is their prerogative to make late changes and such flexibility can pay dividends but punters need to tread carefully with their runners.

It's not as if Pique Sous has a cast-iron case for the race either. This feels like an afterthought with connections saying he's only running due to the prize-money and he's not jumped a hurdle in public for a year.

His jumping has never been good either and his hurdles form to date is ordinary; it would be hard to construct an argument that he's well in off 137 for beating Cops And Robbers. There's a chance that he'll blow this race apart, such is his flat class, but at the prices I'm prepared to look elsewhere.

The second favourite Bayan has strong claims.

His preparation has been perfect, winning a flat handicap at Leopardstown and shaping much better than the form in doing so, held up last off a slow pace but still winning. He has previous at the Festival, second in the big 1m4f handicap last year, and his yard have a fine record in this race.

His third in the Coral Cup looks strong form and he appeared not to fully get the trip so the stiff two miles around here should be ideal. Davy Condon has been booked from a ways off and it's hard to see him not being involved.

Rawnaq is the other one I'd keep onside. His seventh in the race last year was disappointing on the surface but there were excuses; the ground was too soft, he didn't get the run of the race as he lost his position and he returned a sick horse. He showed that running all wrong when a close third in the Greatwood off 2lbs lower than he'll compete off here and looks well-treated.

This will be his first hurdles run since and while his recent flat runs have only been satisfactory, the two miles he's been running over just stretches him. That trip over jumps allows him to show his speed more effectively and he's a big price at around 20.019/1.

Recommended Bets

Back Golden Wonder and Burn And Turn in the Galway Plate
Back Bayan and Rawnaq in the Galway Hurdle