Galway Festival preview: It's 52 years since a father and son combination has won Ballybrit's Festival highlight, the Hewlett-Packard Galway Plate, but both Niall Madden Senior and Junior will be hot on the trail with Ursumman this afternoon.

A 22-strong field headed by last year's winner Ansar will tackle the midsummer chasing feature but there would be few more colourful results than if the Maddens can follow in some famous footsteps.

The 1953 winner Gallant Wolf represented Tom Taaffe and his son Tos and they are the only father-son team to have won the historic race in the modern era.

Niall Snr, whose nickname "Boots" inspired his son to be commonly known as "Slippers", didn't enjoy a good start to the festival on Monday evening when picking up a €500 fine for the late withdrawal of a horse from the GPT Handicap.

Niall Jnr was the champion amateur jockey last season and a victory for Ursumman would be the ideal big-race kick-off to his professional career.

Ursumman looks to have quite a lot going for him too. Along with the big ante-post gamble Mirpour, he is the youngest horse in the race and comes here in fine form having been placed in a pair of Plate trials at Tipperary and Down Royal.

The latter saw him finish two lengths off Ruby Walsh's mount Warrens Castle, for which he is 3lb better off, while there was only a head and a neck between Ursumman and Quadco at Tipperary.

Coming on the back of two wins, and with a hurdle placing over three miles in between, there is a nice progression to Ursumman's form and with stamina and an ability to act on quick ground assured, he looks to hold good each way credentials at odds of about 16 to 1.

The Madden runner is also at the "right" end of the handicap. In the last eight years only Moscow Express has won with more than 11st on his back, a statistic that won't encourage fans of Ansar and Banasan.

Both have 12st and physically Ansar may be hard pushed to carry it. Banasan has won on fast ground, but his very best run was on heavy at Listowel last year.

Mirpour was placed in both the GPT and Galway Hurdle last year and comes here on the back of a good run on the flat at the Curragh. The betting has advertised his chances but inexperience could be a factor with him, having had only three chase starts to date.

Only Amlah in 1998 has won the Plate for a British yard but three cross-channel raiders will try today. However, it is difficult to make too convincing a case for any of them and those looking for real long odds could maybe do worse than look at Light On The Broom.

Michael Kinane is at Goodwood for the Sussex Stakes where he rides the Jersey Stakes winner Proclamation. But he will be keeping an eye for the result of the all-aged handicap where Nyasa, who races in the colours of his wife Catherine, looks to hold a good chance.

The Stravinsky filly was just beaten at Leopardstown last time out and before that had beaten Broomfield Lad at Gowran. On this continuing quick ground Nyasa can make her presence felt again.

Pat Smullen, who missed the first two days through suspension, returns to action today and could make an immediate impression with Midnight Mist in the 3-y-o handicap.

Midnight Mist ran a good race behind Aunty Euro last time and the form of a maiden win at Down Royal has been franked since. A good draw in box 15 won't hinder her chance either.

Smullen also looks to have a likely hotpot to look forward to in the concluding maiden as Bawaader should be hard to beat. A worry is that he is a son of Indian Ridge whose progeny usually like a little dig.

Selections:

BRIAN O'CONNOR

1.50 ACCORDING TO BILLY

2.25 IFWHATSOWHAT

3.00 MIDNIGHT MIST (NAP)

3.40 URSUMMAN

4.25 CORAL DAWN

5.00 CLARA ALLEN

5.35 NYASA

6.05 BAWAADER

Double:

MIDNIGHT MIST

and CLARA ALLEN