TRYING to find potential Galway winners before they run at Killarney, which serves as a preparation run for many Galway-bound horses, is a bit like trying to predict the winner of the All-Ireland watching pre-season challenge matches or in some cases, the final rounds of the qualifiers.

It’s not to suggest anything untoward or to demean the very popular meeting in Kerry. Killarney is a very good place to win and there are plenty of local trainers who will hold the meeting in a higher stature than the seven-day show out in the west. But for many, Galway is Galway and with the prize money for the week now exceeding €2 million (every race worth at least €15,000) it makes perfect sense for connections to have one eye focused on Ballybrit.