DAILY RACING PREVIEW BY ANDY HOLDING
SUNDAY AUGUST 3
15.0 GALWAY
RAGMANS CORNER (NAP) (best price 5-2) easily outrun his odds in the big amateur rider’s race on Monday night and with that effort the third time Gerard Keane’s inmate has gone well at Ballybrit, there’s every reason to expect another bold display on his return visit.
Since returning from a break in February, the six-year-old has been in cracking shape and his latest instalment was by some way his best performance in terms of opposition he faced.
Although no match for the winner Filey Bay, he left the impression he would have been a clear second with a smoother passage in the latter stages and considering the race was the quickest on the card speed figure-wise, the son of Kalanisi walked away happy with his night’s work.
A 12-length winner on soft ground at Punchestown in the hands of today’s pilot back in November, he is also one of only two C&D winners in the field and with that run six days ago seen as a positive rather a negative against his chances, he rates a confident vote to provide his handler with his second winner of the meeting.
RAGMANS CORNER – 1-point win@5-2
2.20 GALWAY
Emmet Mullins has enjoyed another good week here at Ballybrit and ARCTIC GALE (best price 9-1) is fancied to go well for the Co Carlow handler in his bid to go two places better than his fine third in midweek.
His other representative, Chance Another One, has strong claims if taking to the track for the first time but we know Arctic Gale goes well here as he proved for the fourth time in a competitive handicap over 2m6f four days ago.
Just done for a bit of boot coming down the hill, the six-year-old stayed on purposely on the run-in to finish a never-nearer fourth and on that evidence, an extra two furlongs should enhance his chances.
ARCTIC GALE – ½ point each-way@9-1 (five places)
3.30 GALWAY
NEVERADULLMOMENT (best price 15-2) could only manage to finish eighth in the Blazers here the other night, but he did leave his mark in a could of the fences, which didn’t help his cause, and he is afforded another chance back over a C&D that suits him best.
Nicely supported in what is always a competitive field, the eight-year-old was going as well as anything when he met the final ditch on the wrong stride and that mistake seemed to completely scramble his mind as he walked through the next fence soon after, thus forcing him to totally lose his place.
Unable to recover his poise, he kept on at the one pace to finish just outside the money but as we have seen here many times before, horses who are turned out again quickly often have an advantage over their rivals and that theory could well work the trick for a horse who has won here three times in the past.
NEVERADULLMOMENT – ½ point each-way@15-2 (four places)