It is a dozen years since a three-year-old managed to win the Galway festival’s Tuesday feature and Hasanour could be a bet to keep his upstart young opposition in their place. He can also again emphasise the importance of a good draw around Ballybrit.
It has become a golden Galway rule over the years that winning over seven furlongs from a high-number stall is all but impossible, a rule of thumb that mightn’t be quite as blunt for the longer distance of today’s Colm Quinn BMW Mile but still leaves the draw a highly significant factor.
So Whiskey Sour, one of a trio of three-year-olds lining up for the €120,000 highlight, surely faces a mammoth task in box 18 of 18 while General Macarthur from Aidan O’Brien’s Ballydoyle yard is hardly aided by being in 15.
Topweight Baraweez, placed in this race for the past two years, and one of three hopes sent across the Irish Sea by Brian Ellison, is in 16 while Fit For The Job, from last year’s winning trainer, David Wachman, also has a double-digit draw.
Attention
In contrast, Karalara, by far the most inexperienced runner in the race with just two runs, will attract plenty of attention given she’s in stall three and perhaps just as much for Dermot Weld allowing the Aga Khan-owned filly take her chance in a famously competitive handicap off a mark of 92.
When it was known as the McDonogh, the Aga won this race in 1995 with Timarida, a filly that became a true Group 1 star later in her career.
Leigh Roche does the 8.7 weight on Karalara with Pat Smullen also carrying the Aga Khan’s colours on the second topweight, Ashraf, in box one. In between the two of them however could be a major threat in the shape of the veteran Hasanour.
Michael Halford’s runner is a course and distance winner, and shouldn’t mind a little ease in the ground, and from stall two Shane Foley will be hoping to secure a vital good early position.
Market hotpot
The juvenile fillies maiden has a fine record of throwing up future Group 1 stars, most notably in recent years the 2014 winner, Legatissimo. She started a 12-1 shot when breaking her duck.
The Weld hope, Eziyra, is likely to prove a market hotpot given her ultra-promising Tipperary debut behind Sea Of Grace earlier this month although being drawn 11 of 15 over the seven furlong course is hardly ideal.
Eziyra could start very short so from a punting point of view there may be value in opting instead for the Ballydoyle hope Hydrangea, a Galileo filly who was finishing well on her Curragh debut over what looked an inadequate six furlongs.
The former Cheltenham festival Bumper hero Briar Hill is the headline act for the Beginners Chase where he nevertheless faces a real task in having to concede 19lbs to the four- year-old filly Tocororo, trained by Gordon Elliott.
Even over a two miles a low draw can prove a help around Galway and Wayne Lordan can use his to get Artful Artist home in the finale.
