STRANGE to be thinking about the Galway Plate on Derby week, but it was difficult not to do so when the Charles Byrnes-trained Shanpallas stayed on strongly for Barry Geraghty to land the two and a half mile handicap hurdle at Ballinrobe on Tuesday.

JP McManus’ horse has a score to settle with the Galway Plate. He ran out at the third fence in the race in 2014 and he was impeded on the run between the last two fences when he finished fifth behind Shanahan’s Turn last year. He proved that he could operate at Galway when he finished second, beaten by just half a length, in a decent handicap hurdle at the 2014 festival, three days after he had run out in the Plate, and he is now 1lb lower over fences than he was when he ran in the race last year.

Alelchi Inois finished a head behind Shanpallas in sixth place when sent off as favourite for the Plate last year and the Willie Mullins-trained gelding stayed on well to catch and pass Sadler’s Risk in the two-mile-six-furlong chase at Punchestown on Wednesday. The trainer said afterwards that the Plate was again the plan this year, and Luke McMahon’s horse is another who should be coming to the boil nicely.