Last year's winner Shanahan's Turn is set to lead trainer Henry de Bromhead's assault on the tote.com Galway Plate on July 27th where he might be joined by the 2014 winner Road To Riches.

The last horse to claim back-to-back victories in the Ballybrit showpiece was Ansar in 2004-05, but Shanahan's Turn has this year yet to show anything like the form he produced to beat The Paparrazi Kid by five and a half lengths in 2015.

Sadler's Risk, third behind his stablemate in the valuable handicap chase last summer, is also likely to take up the challenge again along with stable companion Home Farm.

"Shanahan's Turn, Sadler's Risk and Home Farm are definites for the Plate and are being aimed at it, and there might be one or two others, too," said de Bromhead.

"Shanahan's Turn is a bit in and out, but has been like that even before the Plate last year.

"He ran a shocker at Killarney and I was actually in two minds about running him in the Plate, but he just came alive. He's a funny guy and is 9lb higher now.

"Sadler's Risk was third last year and had a great run the other day but is also 13lb higher now.

"However, if Road To Riches (the 2014 winner) runs, you'll need to be up around that rating to get in."

ROAD TO RICHES

Road To Riches will soon be schooling for the first time since his crunching fall at the Punchestown Festival.

Noel Meade's top-class chaser has not been seen since he took a horrible-looking tumble when still in front at the second-last of the Punchestown Gold Cup.

He is being prepared for a second assault on the Galway Plate, a race he won in 2014 and launched him into the top tier of chasing.

"Michael (O'Leary) has been thinking about it for a while and said after Punchestown if he was okay to train him again for the Plate," Meade told At The Races.

"Despite the fall he seems to have come out of it okay. We haven't schooled him yet but he's ready to school.

"We'll give him a pop next week to see if it's had any effect on him but he's in very good form.

"With so many highly-rated horses in training at this time of the year there'll be a full field but I'd still expect him to have top weight."