GALWAY gives a platform for trainers with strings of all sizes to have a chance on the big stage, and it can be a terrific shop window for handlers to advertise their talents.

Ahead of the 2025 festival, Mark Boylan spoke to seven trainers, who each nominated ‘one to watch’ from their yard at Ballybrit next week.

Assistant trainer Gary Bannon said: “I think Fairbanks is one to keep an eye on in the Connacht Hotel Qualified Riders Handicap on Monday; he’s a real class horse. We were very disappointed when he finished down the field at Royal Ascot but he didn’t get the run of the race the way we expected and then we bumped into one of Willie Mullins’ [Le Note Verte] in a novice hurdle at Roscommon.

I think stepping up to two miles will be no trouble to him if he gets away well, and he’s one we had big plans for at the start of the year. Dara McGill, a very good amateur, will ride him. He’s my banker of the week.

We have others with chances down there too, but I’ll give a little mention to Pour One More as a horse we really like and one who’s worth following for the rest of the season beyond Galway. We bought him from Colin Motherway at the sales after he won a maiden hurdle at Clonmel and he looks very smart. He’s got an entry in the Colm Quinn BMW Novice Hurdle on Tuesday.

Bill Silvers is another who has a chance in the Rockshore Handicap on Thursday. He’s come right down the weights to a nice mark and if he got juice in the ground, he should run well after finishing sixth in a premier handicap at the meeting last year. Draw a line through his last run at Ballinrobe; it might just have been one run too many on decent ground.”

We had a great year at Galway last year and fingers crossed we’ll have a few to go back there again next week. I’d probably have to put Clear Quartz forward when he’s won three times at Galway and he’s only finished out of the first four once [in nine starts] around the track. He has an entry for the Rockshore Handicap over an extended mile on Thursday.

We won the three-mile Kenny Galway Handicap Hurdle on the Sunday last year with Flicker Of Hope and I think we’ll run Garnacho in the same race this time around. He won last time at Bellewstown and we’re looking forward to seeing him out again.

If Happy Jacky manages to get into the Connacht Hotel Qualified Riders Handicap on Monday, and he can run like he did in a premier handicap at the Curragh two starts ago, I don’t think he’ll be far away either. He’s been a great horse to have and is still in great form.

I’m looking forward to running Sign From Above next week. I suppose we’ve had Galway in the back of our mind with him for the year. He picked up an injury after his last win and he had a couple of runs to get back to himself, with Galway in mind.

He’s run twice at Galway, winning once and a close third the other start. I’d imagine he’ll go for the two-mile Tote Handicap on Wednesday and then possibly could have a run over hurdles later in the week too. Hopefully we’ll have some nice chances at the festival through the week. I think we have some nice bumper horses to run at Galway.

I think we’re going there with some great chances. Storm Averted finished second in a maiden around there last October and I’m hoping she’ll have a say back there again this week. She’s got entries for a couple of handicaps on Tuesday at the moment. An ease in the ground will be a help to her.

Electric Beauty won the other evening at Leopardstown. I think she’ll go well in one of the three-year-old handicaps later in the week, and I like a horse called Ribee in another of those three-year-old races then too. He’s been second the last twice and, I think all three horses will be happy if there’s a cut in the ground.

I’ve been delighted with how our horses have been running. We’ve had some nice winners on the flat and over jumps during the last few weeks, and hopefully that’s a positive for them all heading to Galway.

We’ll have chances here and there, and if the ground managed to stay on the dry side come next weekend, I’d hope that Burren Song will give a good account in the McDonogh Capital Investments Handicap over just shy of a mile and a half on the Saturday. He’s been pleasing us at home but is at his best on a decent surface. We recently bought a nice horse at the Tattersalls July Sale called Convincing. Fingers crossed he gets to take his chance in the Caulfield Industrial Handicap on Tuesday, but I think he’s a horse who will have a nice future beyond Galway in the longer term too. His owner, Jim Bourke, is a great supporter of ours and I hope he’ll have plenty of fun with him.

I like a filly of ours called Spanish Temptress. She’s number four on the ballot for the Clayton Hotel Galway Handicap on Monday, which would look like a nice race for her, so fingers crossed she manages to get in. If not, she’ll have another option back there on the Friday. Handicaps like these are very competitive. They’re hard to win and often have unexposed types involved, but hopefully she might fall into that bracket somewhat. She won nicely at Killarney last time.

We’ll have a few heading down there next week. It was a pity to have three seconds there last year and not manage to get a winner but hopefully they can run well again. I think Moonovercloon should have a good chance in the Guinness Galway Blazers on Friday. He was just touched off in the race last year and he seems in good order again now. The track and trip seems to suit him well. I’m happy with him.