Teed Up 4/1 (5pl) – Galway 1.50
It's well known that the owners of Teed Up love a Galway Festival winner, and this horse is no stranger to winning at this festival.
Teed Up has won this race on two occasions, so will be primed to make it a third. He raced two days ago on the flat; he didn't win, but that doesn't mean a lot. He has run earlier in the week before winning this race before, so it's always been part of the plan.
He is still higher in the weights than his previous two wins, which is the main reason to be against him, but these connections know how to win around here.
Sallap 12/1 (5pl) – Galway 2.20
Towards the bottom of the weights, Sallap catches the eye.
Sam Curling's horse has been in tremendous form during the summer, winning two of his three runs. His return at Cork was substandard compared to the two runs which followed, but he clearly needed the run that day, and he hasn't looked back since.
He was bigger than 12/1, and that seemed unfair, so it's right that the money has started to come in for him. This is clearly a much tougher race, but he's in the form of his life, and the return to three miles is happening at the right time and could bring out further improvements.
Saunton Surf 15/2 (5pl) – Galway 2.55
I don't understand why Saunton Surf is 15/2 for this race. There's plenty to like about this horse, but he's not being respected in the market as much as I think he should be.
What's not to like about him? He is lightly raced over fences, and recently won on his second start over fences by 10L. That run recorded an RPR of 106, but he has been given an opening handicap mark of 100. To add to this, he now gets a 7lb claimer in the saddle instead of the 3lb claimer he had last time, which makes him even better handicapped.
Also, the runner-up from his win at Downpatrick won on his next start by 10L.
Felix Somary 12/1 (4pl) – Galway 5.00
I think it could be very feasible to believe that Jp's Express could land a Galway Festival double, as this race doesn't look particularly strong. We see horses win multiple times during this festival, and he is the correct favourite.
One at a price that looked to be overpriced was Felix Somary. John S O'Donoghue has only sent one runner to the festival this week, and that was a winner, so he's clearly only sending horses that are in with a good shout.
Drawn in stall 4 is a nice spot for Felix Somary, who likes to race towards the front. This track can be a nuisance if you're drawn wide, as you find yourself in trouble when they turn for home. Felix Somary ran well on his last start over a mile, but you could tell that his stamina was lacking towards the end, so the drop in trip looks wise.
GambleAware