Racing Galway previewThe opening session at Galway was once regarded as a low-key curtain-raiser to the Festival but now it seems to explode into instant action.Last year the very first race saw the Computote and Bookmakers handle €250,000 with the Tote topping the a1 million mark on the night.
This evening's G.P.T. Amateur Handicap field includes those recent shock providers, dual winner Gamekeeper and Quadco and the sight of those names on the racecard should be enough to steady the most reckless of punters.
The Pat Hughes stable can have reaped little reward from the Gamekeeper double but this evening Hughes deals off a potentially strong hand with Rapid Deployment and Dark Trojan both joining Gamekeeper.
While the form of Gamekeeper on this circuit surpasses anything he has ever done elsewhere, his stablemate Rapid Deployment has overall superior credentials and the better recent form is presented by Dark Trojan.
Rapid Deployment won the Irish Cesarewitch in 2001 and last year ran well for two miles in the Tote Cesarewitch at Newmarket (2m 2f) when 10th of 36 to the Martin Pipe-trained Miss Fara.
Three weeks ago Dark Trojan was beaten a head on the flat at Roscommon by last year's Galway Hurdle winner Say Again and in the knowledge that his partner Alan Crowe would have had a wide choice of mounts, I take Dark Trojan to reward his stable for all the patience they have expended since buying him for a60,000 guineas out of Michael Stoute's yard four years ago.
In that same season another Newmarket-based trainer Saeed Bin Suroor was sweeping all before him with an Aga Khan-bred horse Daylami whose defeat of Nedawi in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes was achieved with Alamshar-style ease and who then went on to win the inaugural Emirates World Series Racing Championship.
Now at stud, Daylami's first crop are now two-year-olds and one of these Grey Swallow is expected to become Dermot Weld's 16th winner of the G.P.T. Access Equipment 2-Y-O Maiden.
Heavily backed, he got upset in stalls at The Curragh in June when due to make his debut and had to be withdrawn.
That episode provoked a heated debate on the issue of late loading highly strung individuals.
There should be no repeat now and he can crush the aspirations of Rock Of Cashel, a full brother to Rock Of Gibraltar, winner of a record seven consecutive Group One races in the colours of Alex Ferguson.
Mirpour and Always meet for the second time over hurdles.
They were first and second favourite respectively at Navan in November when Mirpour ran up to Newlands Gold while Always finished sixth.
In the interving months Mirpour has been more profitable employed winning his three most recent outings but as Always meets him on 10lb better term tonight she can turn the tables.
Tips for the bumper will multiply as the evening progresses but the best advice would be to close your ears and stick to the formbook.
This pinpoints Emmpat as one that has run well against previous bumpers winners. It will take a smart newcomer to beat him this evening.
