Saturday Racing Tips: Weld to keep flying at Galway

As was ever thus, Dermot Weld's team have been in flying form this week at Galway, with the Rosewell House trainer saddling several winners, while numerous others have made the frame. There are a couple of Weld's runners that catch my eye on the penultimate day of the festival and hopefully both can give us a good run for our money.

Filly with a future can make impact now

The first one to take a look at is the once-raced Fastnet Rock filly Sherkin Island, who runs in the Irish Independent On Saturday Maiden at 13:25. She shaped with a deal of promise when third to the subsequently demoted Citronnade in heavy ground at the Curragh in May and looks a filly with a future.

That form was given a big boost when Citronnade took a handicap at this track earlier in the week and natural progression will make Sherkin Island tough to beat from a good draw in stall three.

As one would expect at the Galway Festival, this maiden has quite a competitive look to it, with the likes of Joseph and Aidan O'Brien both fielding live chances, though the pick of the opposition may well be Paddy Twomey's Arctician.

Boasting strong juvenile form in 2020, including when third to Laws Of Indices and Lucky Vega in the Railway Stakes, this son of Dark Angel sets a fair standard, though it's worth noting he hasn't been seen in the best part of a year and may well come on for the run.

Barud can keep on improving

The other Weld runner I'll be backing is Barud, who shoulders top weight in the Irish Stallion Farms European Breeders Nursery Handicap at 15:48.

Quite an expensive purchase in the context of this race, Barud has shaped promisingly in three runs to date and looks the type to find plenty of improvement switched to a nursery for the first time.

His latest outing, when fifth in a blanket finish at the Curragh, was his best run yet, and despite quite a few of those runners finishing in close proximity to each other, it's a race that should throw up its fair share of winners. Indeed, the only horse to emerge from that race so far is the ninth-placed finisher Manu Et Corde, who took a maiden at Leopardstown last week.

Where juveniles are concerned, it's often worth identifying strong races early, which then gives you a better chance of maximising profits with subsequent runners before the market catches on. That could well be the case with the maiden that Barud contested last time and hopefully he can provide another winner from a race that should prove profitable to follow.

Of the opposition, the main danger may be Aidan O'Brien's Pimlico, who hasn't really progressed since an encouraging debut run, though does have the benefit of first-time blinkers to try and get him back on track.

Jim Bolger's Cool And Clever showed improved form when winning a maiden at Roscommon in May, and with his opening mark looking a fair one, he's another that shouldn't be entirely dismissed, particularly as he remains open to more progression.

Over at Newmarket, there's a fascinating race in store for the Listed British Stallion Studs EBF Chalice Stakes at 14:45.

Charlie Appleby's Dubawi filly Sayyida has won both her starts this year, the first in a novice contest on the Rowley Mile before improving again when taking a handicap on the July course last time.

Always travelling well while tracking the pace, Sayyida led over a furlong out and showed a cracking attitude when challenged, eventually seeing off By Starlight by a length.

It could be argued she needs to improve again stepping up to listed company for the first time, though with her stable in cracking form, I believe she can make the grade.

Main danger Invite is a useful filly who impressively landed a Doncaster handicap before finishing a respectable fifth in the Italian Oaks at Milan last time - her final run for Marco Botti. She's subsequently joined the yard of Andrew Balding, another stable that is having a fine time of things this year.

Michael Stoute's Portfolio has been much improved of late, winning handicaps at Leicester and at this track, making all each time. She's certainly going the right way and is another firmly in the picture trying 1m4f for the first time.

Plenty of people will focus on the class-drop angle with Roger Varian's Save A Forest, who was second in the Lingfield Oaks trial before finishing a creditable fourth in the Oaks itself. While I wouldn't put anyone off, my thinking is that outside of the runaway winner, the Oaks form simply isn't that strong.

A couple of others to consider are the unbeaten Ralph Beckett filly Yesyes and the John & Thady Gosden-trained Chiasma.

The former needs to improve on what she's shown so far, though is from a good Juddmonte family and is perfectly entitled to do so, while the latter also needs to find a bit, though it's never wise to write horses off from this yard, particularly when Frankie Dettori is on board.

In summary, this looks a good race for the grade, with improving handicappers meeting lower-level pattern performers, and my vote goes to Sayyida, who is very much heading the right way and hails from a stable that is having a fantastic time of things this year.

1 pt win Sherkin Island in 13:25 Galway
1 pt win Barud in 15:48 Galway