DAILY RACING PREVIEW BY ANDY HOLDING
MONDAY JULY 27
5.40 GALWAY
HOPEFUL HERO finally put everything together when scoring with seemingly any amount in hand at Bellewstown last time out and Tom Hogan’s gelding has all the right attributes to justify the belief he can follow up on a bigger stage.
A consistent if somewhat frustrating run of placed efforts followed him into his latest encounter at the Meath circuit but he went through the race like he was always going to stop the trend and it a performance to wonder what all the fuss was about previously.
Since his smooth success a month ago, the third and the fifth have both gone on to boost the form and with crack conditional, Alan Sullivan, once again entrusted with the steering, the combination will hopefully prove equal to the task at hand.
HOPEFUL HERO – 1-point each-way@5-1 (five places)
6.40 GALWAY
The signature big race on day one is always a well sought after prize among the amateur ranks and with the Mullins family winning eight of the last ten renewals, it goes against the grain to look elsewhere.
However, GRANITE BAY arrives here with the sort of profile that makes him a big danger to some of the more illustrious names, and he is fancied to go well in his bid to be a bit of a giantkiller.
Jarlath Fahey’s inmate looks to have been given the perfect preparation by connections, running a fine race on his most recent encounter in a hot, staying handicap at The Curragh and considering that was his first run for 55 days, there is more than a strong possibility he will be all the better for the run.
In-keeping with many previous winners of this event, the five-year-old has a solid effort over today’s course to his name courtesy of an excellent display on heavy ground over 1m4f and having finished a creditable fourth of 20 on his only other previous attempt over two miles, a big run looks on the cards from his favourable low draw.
Talking of the draw, long term fancy for this race, Light Up The Dark, has been handed stall 21 of 21, so life has been made extremely difficult for one of the main fancies.
Similar comments apply also to Tounsivator in stall 19, whereas Eagle Fang has fared much better in box 4. William Durkan’s inmate was placed in two, big-field staying handicaps over hurdles in the UK and his two recent efforts on the Flat back on home soil suggests he is going to be a big player in this event.
GRANITE BAY – 1-point each-way@8-1 (five places)