Former champion jockey Declan McDonogh takes over from Aubrey McMahon on Whiskey Sour in Friday evening’s €100,000 Galway feature and the Willie Mullins-trained horse can complete a lucrative festival double.
Whiskey Sour provided McMahon with just the third winner of his short career when springing a 16-1 surprise in Monday’s big amateur highlight.
Whiskey Sour is back at Ballybrit again with a 7lb penalty in a Guinness Handicap which looks a good opportunity for a horse who has two of his three starts around the track. Tara Dylan could be one to lead the chase behind him.
The in-form Mullins team have five Friday runners with both Renneti and Digeanta lining up in the final conditions event.
Renneti’s 104 ratings stands out and a repeat of the flat form that saw him dole out a 14 length rout at Naas last October would make him very hard to beat.
He can be predictable in his unpredictability though and taking Danny Sheehy’s valuable 7lb claim into account Digeanta may prove a reasonable alternative.
The 2015 Irish Cesarewitch winner was one of those most inconvenienced by the slow pace in which Monday’s big amateur race was run at – yet Digeanta ran on noticeably well to finish fourth to Whiskey Sour.
Usually the sight of a Dermot Weld filly lining up for a Galway maiden on the back of a Curragh second would put Muniza in the 'banker' league for many.
The overall form of the Weld team continues to be a concern however although Muniza did put in a perfectly fine debut performance behind Kamili at HQ. Joseph O’Brien supplies an attractive alternative in High Language who belied 25-1 odds on her own debut when third at Gowran.
Golden Spear won the big flat handicap on this card a year ago and is back this time for the opening handicap hurdle.
Tay Lane has a second start for Willie Mullins in this and there won't be any shortage of punters prepared to bet she will be a more potent force here than at Sligo a fortnight ago.
