GALWAY FESTIVAL 2020 [JULY 27th -- AUG 2nd] -- DAY TWO TUESDAY

DAY TWO TUESDAY
This year's Galway festival is off with a bang, Dermot Weld scored our first winner in the opening race and followed it up later so secured him a profit on day one, JP also found a winner but small loss on the opening day for him. The second day is another evening meeting and will begin at 4:45pm with a 7f Fillies Maiden. The feature race tonight being the Colm Quinn BMW sponsored Handicap over a mile and that gets underway at 6.45pm.
As mentioned on day one as per recent seasons we will continue to focus on the horses from trainer Dermot Weld and we will continue to track his progress this week though we might also offer one or two other selections in particular the feature races if no Weld runner is declared. And once again for this season we intend to follow the success of JP O'Brien who often has a nice priced winner and seems to have taken well to training and has the ability to be as good as his father in time.

Going -- Good-Yielding.
Weather Forecast -- A high of 17C with a small chance of a few showers during the course of the evening.

GALWAY 2020 behind closed doors

Tuesday's Selections;
16:45  Colm Quinn BMW Irish EBF Fillies Maiden
7f  9 Runners
Umneyaat  [D Weld]  2nd 4/1

17:15 Caulfield Industrial Irish EBF Maiden
7f  13 Runners
Mostaqqer  [D Weld]  5th 3/1

17:45 Colm Quinn BMW Irish EBF Corrib Fillies Stakes (Listed)
7f  16 Runners
Titanium Sky  [D Weld]  12th 25/1
Crotchet  [JP O'Brien]  [Non Runner]
A New Dawn  [JP O'Brien]  3rd 6/1
Unforgetable  [JP O'Brien]  [Non Runner]

18:15 Caulfieldindustrial.com Handicap
1m 123yds   9 Runners
Flying Scotsman  [JP O'Brien]  WON 13/8f

18:45 Colm Quinn BMW Mile Handicap
1m 123yds  18 Runners
This handicap is our feature event for the evening and we are represented by one of our trainers with GEORGEVILLE [16th 16/1] running for Dermot Weld is lightly raced as a 4yo and could be kept with this in mind by his trainer. Will also be looking at HELVIC DREAM [8th 6/1] for Noel Meade has won a couple of races on easier going and will welcome further rain which should arrive Monday.

19:45 Caulfield Industrial Handicap
1m 123yds  16 Runners
Scorpion Black  [D Weld]  8th 18/1

20:15 Latin Quarter Handicap
2m 110yds 15 Runners
Nostra Casa [D Weld]  10th 9/1
King Pellinor [JP O'Brien] 6th 18/1
Bligh [JP O'Brien]  9th 7/1

Day Two figures -- Results will be updated tonight, then it's forwards to Wednesday and the feature race the Grade A Tote Galway Plate. We will keep each trainers efforts separate here to update at the close of play.

D Weld 6pts staked today       Returns today 0pts.
p/l for week +1pts after Day #2
JP O'Brien 6pts staked today      Returns today 4.625pts.
p/l for week -4.045pts after Day #2
Overall week p/l to date -3.045pts after Day #2

Results to update later tonight, and Day Three featuring the Galway Plate should be ready fairly soon, along with some info from Goodwood this week. I hope you will have a great week of quality racing via Tv and online channels.

"GLORIOUS" GOODWOOD FESTIVAL 2020 [TUES 28th JULY - SAT 1st AUG] -- DAY ONE

TUESDAY Day One
Though it's now sponsored by Qatar it may not be officially called 'Glorious Goodwood' now, it still is for me and it's still one of the most scenic of race courses to visit, just not this summer sadly. While I am also focused on the racing at Galway during this week there are plenty of good races here in Sussex to enjoy.

This week is a very busy one as we also covering the festival meeting over in Ireland at Galway so for Goodwood I shall only be looking at the major races here each day not the entire race card, we shall look at all the Group contests and include the 'Heritage Handicaps' such as the Stewards Cup. The meeting runs through until Saturday and we'll keep running totals of profit / loss throughout the week.

Time for us to have a good look at day one, Tuesday's highlight is their newest Group 1, the Al Shaqab Goodwood Cup has a reduced prize fund this year of around £250,000. Stradivarius won this for the third time last year and having smashed his opposition in the Ascot Gold Cup again this is surely another title for the taking with probably a small field for this year's renewal.

Going -- Good (Good to soft in places).
Weather Forecast -- Generally sunny, not as hot as the past month and a little bit breezy max temperature 21C

2:25 Veuve Clicquot Vintage Stakes 7f (Group 2)
Only 10 runners declared for this Group 2 stakes, was won last year by Pinatubo, and we'll see if there's anything to match him in this field. BATTLEGROUND [WON 13/8f] looks to be the short price market leader for Aiden O'Brien and has Ryan Moore in the saddle, winner at Royal Ascot in the Chesham Stakes means it will take a good one to turn him over. Of the rest most at taking a big step up in class, except for DARK LION who could be the one to place, a 4th in the Coventry at Royal Ascot, then went and shed his maiden tag at Wolves.

Selection -- Battleground (in multiples)  [WON 13/8f]

Dark Lion (place bet).  
3:00 Qatar Lennox Stakes 7f (Group 2)
Another competitive Group 2 event, this time open to older horses but again over 7f. 13 declared headed by Glorious Journey for trainer Charlie Appleby, has been running overseas winning a Group 2 at Meydan, the trainer also saddle D'bai (L Dettori) and Space Blues [Won 2/1] (W Buick) and I'd have to pick D'bai out of that trio perhaps for a place bet if the price is as forecast (12/1). Couple of course and distance winners to consider, DUKE OF HAZARD [2nd 5/1] won three on the bounce last term and two of those were here albeit over a mile but is effective at this trip too and is taken along with SIR DANCEALOT who was our winner of this contest twelve months ago and could be ready to follow up for trainer David Elsworth and jockey Gérald Mossé.
Selections -- Duke of Hazard [2nd 5/1] / Sir Dancealot to win
D'Bai to place. 
3:35 Al Shaqab Goodwood Cup 2m (Group 1).
Our feature race for day one is the Goodwood Cup a Group One contest for older horses over two miles. Field of nine runners declared but does include last years winner STRADIVARIUS who returns to defend his title again seeking a fourth win and it's hard to see who will stop him given the way he destroyed the field at Ascot on ground that was expected to be against him. On expected Good going here Frankie Dettori should be collecting another Group One prize. Only clear danger is the Aiden O'Brien challenger SANTIAGO stepping up in trip and class but the 3yo would be a huge shock if the fav is beaten while still enjoying his racing. A race to watch and enjoy.
Selection -- STRADIVARIUS (in the multiples with Battleground + others)

That's all for us on Tuesday, we'll have more top quality racing to enjoy tomorrow including the Group 1 Sussex Stakes to tackle on Wednesday also racing all week over in Ireland with the Galway Festival.

GALWAY FESTIVAL 2020 [JULY 27th -- AUG 2nd] -- DAY ONE MONDAY

DAY ONE - MONDAY
Day 1 of racing being held behind closed doors this year.
The highly-anticipated week long seven-day Galway Races Summer Festival kicks off on Monday 27th July. With seven flat races on this evening's card, our first race kicks off at 4.40pm which is a 7f maiden event and the last handicap race at 7.45pm. Regarded as Ireland’s largest horse racing Festival, this year as we will race behind closed doors the feature race tonight being the Connacht Hotel Handicap due off around 6:45pm.

Once again this season we will continue to focus on the horses from trainer Dermot Weld and we will continue to track his progress this week though we might also offer one or two other selections in particular the feature races if no Weld runner is declared. Once again for this season we intend to follow the success of JP O'Brien who often has a nice priced winner and seems to have taken well to training and has the ability to be as good as his father in time.

Going -- Flat - Good to Yielding.
Weather Forecast -- Expecting a showery day on Monday with a high of 17C.

Day One Selections;
16:10 Claregalwayhotel.ie Irish EBF Maiden
7f 10 Runners
Blue For You [D Weld]  WON 8/1

16:40 Claytonhotelgalway.ie Handicap
7f 15 Runners
Thaleeq [D Weld]  5th 17/2

17:15 Galmont.com and Galwaybayhotel.com Handicap
7f 13 Runners
Lightning Amber [D Weld]  5th 8/1
Aced It [JP O'Brien]  4th 17/2

18:15 Easyfix Handicap
1m 4f 84yds 16 Runners
Centroid [D Weld]   WON 4/1
Globe Theatre [JP O'Brien]  6th 14/1

18:45 Connacht Hotel (Q.R.) Handicap
2m 179yds 20 Runners
The opening day's feature race is this two mile handicap worth €45,000 to the winner, and won last year by Great White Shark (8/1) trained by Willie Mullins. Dermot Weld has Dalton Highway [13th 11/2] who was winning last time up at the Curragh and was runner up here last year so should be ready to fire with the yard going well. JP O'Brien is also represented with a trio of runners, Kings Vow [14th 66/1], Grandmaster Flash [5th 20/1] and A Wave of the Sea [9th 10/1] who might well be the pick of these with a light weight and a very experienced jockey booked. Of the rest of the field might also have a look at the 10yo De Name Escapes Me too for trainer Noel Meade.

19:15 Eventus Handicap
1m 4f 84yds 11 Runners
Flying Scotsman [JP O'Brien]  WON 10/3
Lilli Milena [D Weld]  9th 5/1

19:45 Monami Construction (Q.R.) Maiden
1m 4f 84yds 16 Runners
Ciel D'afrique [D Weld]  2nd 5/2
Druids Altar [JP O'Brien]  6th 12/1
Liam's Approval [JP O'Brien - Reserve N/R].

Racing, Guinness, Women, Great Craic ... Life is good.

Day One results and stats, will appear here during Monday night and we have plenty more to see and do yet before the week is out. It's only the opening day, but Dermot Weld off to a great start and JP O'Brien is on the board too but down slightly to SP returns, overall we are ahead after Day One.

D Weld   7pts staked today    returns 14pts
p/l for week   +7pts
JP O'Brien   8pts staked today     returns 5.33pts
p/l for week   -2.67pts
Overall   week p/l to date +4.33pts

Results will appear here on Monday evening along with 'Day Two' to be published shortly, we are also racing at 'Glorious' Goodwood too this week starting on Tuesday, so two top class meetings to enjoy all week long.