Down The Glen

(Ross O’Sullivan)

Galway, July 31st

Galway Festival handicaps often change complexion late on and that was certainly the case in last Friday’s extended mile handicaps for three-year-olds rated 70 or less. The well-fancied JP’s Express stormed home in the closing stages to get the verdict, beating a pair of rivals who traded at 8/15 and nearly 2/9 in-running.

The latter of those was third-placed Down The Glen, who was nudged up 3lb for being beaten three quarters of a length here, but remains on a competitive mark and can win a similar event before the year is out - especially when getting proper soft ground in the autumn. Ross O’Sullivan, who has taken Ballybrit by storm in recent seasons, might have been frustrated not to get a winner on the board at the 2026 meeting but his runners represented him well without quite clicking (including a second, three thirds, a fourth and a luckless San Aer in fifth).

This three-year-old wasn’t beaten all that far and covered more ground than those he fought out the finish with, having been handed a horror draw in stall 17 and failed to get in from there. He won on heavy at Galway last October and should have a good second half of the season ahead.

Fortunate Miss

(Simon Kavanagh)

Galway, August 1st

From a relatively small string of representatives on the track, Co Westmeath-based trainer Simon Kavanagh has seen plenty of runners show up well of late, and Fortunate Miss very much falls into that category after a fine fifth in the mares’ bumper at Galway on Saturday.

Having made three appearances in point-to-points from March to May (winning a small-field affair by 10 lengths on the final of those at Loughrea), the Soldier Of Fortune mare made a positive start to life under rules when finishing 10 lengths behind Sarahs Lawn last weekend. This four-year-old majorly outran her odds of 50/1 on her first start since changing hands for €35,000 out of the Mick Goff yard and she certainly looks capable of building on this to win a mares’ maiden hurdle in due course.

Only the first two home, who were both prominent in the market, finished out more strongly than Fortunate Miss through the final two furlongs, as per the Coursetrack sectionals, and her maximum stride length of 7.57 metres was longer than anything else in this 18-runner field.

Victory Speech beat some promising rivals at Galway last Saturday, including Zarak Pasha (right) and Roy Bean (behind, yellow and white silks) \ Healy Racing

Zarak Pasha

(Joseph O’Brien)

Galway, August 1st

The extended mile maiden for two-year-olds on Galway’s Saturday card can often work out a treat, even if field sizes are typically small. In some ways, the beaten horses can be the most notable to follow in recent years too. Stone Age, a triple Group 1/Grade 1-placed colt for Ballydoyle (also sent off 7/2 for the Derby at Epsom) was turned over in this back in 2021, coming up just short behind Australian Group 1 winner/Cox Plate second Buckaroo. Tennessee Stud (third to Puppet Master in 2024) won a Group 1 in France before the season was out, while last year’s renewal saw the 2026 Derby winner Christmas Day finish third.

This year’s edition was slowly run and the highly promising Victory Speech used his experience in dictating from the front, but runner-up Zarak Pasha lost nothing in defeat for Joseph O’Brien and looks nailed on to go one better in a maiden before holding his own in blacktype company. This Zarak colt, who had shown promise when fourth at Killarney behind City Of Dubai (and in front of subsequent Leopardstown-winning stablemate Green Dreamer), clocked faster sectionals in the final two furlongs than the winner. However, it just wasn’t enough to erode the deficit on the favourite and he remains a maiden.

Cormac Farrell gave a positive mention to this well-bought 75,000gns breeze-up graduate when asked for a horse to follow on The Racing Edge Podcast (by The Irish Field) recently and he should have more to come in the second half of the season and beyond.

Roy Bean

(Noel Meade)

Galway, August 1st

In the same maiden, there was also a fair deal to be pleased with from Noel Meade’s newcomer Roy Bean, despite finishing fourth of the four runners. With the strength of rivals he faced, time may prove this was a highly respectable introduction.

A €40,000 yearling purchase at last year’s Goffs Orby Book 2 Sale, this Naval Crown juvenile looked a fine physical in the preliminaries and will have learned a bundle from making his debut at a track like this.

Statistically, it is one of the toughest courses for a two-year-old to make a winning debut and those who do tend to be group-class performers in the majority of cases.

While he couldn’t quite sustain his effort at the death, nothing was actually quicker than Roy Bean through the fourth, fifth and sixth furlongs collectively and he’s got plenty of stamina on the dam’s side of his pedigree.

When reverting to a median sires maiden, or a maiden restricted to horses costing a certain amount or less at public auction, he’ll be way more at his ease - and a better candidate after the experience picked up here.

Ivatt

(Gordon Elliott)

Galway, August 1st

Considering he hadn’t run since October and was making his first start since a stable switch, Gordon Elliott and Fitri Hay are entitled to be upbeat about the prospects of Ivatt going forward. He made a good start to life on these shores when finishing sixth off top weight in a competitive 16-runner handicap over a mile and a half last Saturday.

As he was entitled to be after a 295-day layoff, he was probably a shade fresh and over-raced a little in Chris Hayes’ hands down the back straight. The ex-Charlie Fellowes-trained four-year-old appeared to really enjoy himself, though. He looked a serious player at the top of the straight when swinging out to challenge, but his lack of a recent run probably told late on. He traded at close to 4/11 in-running, but gave way while looking a shade one-paced in sixth.

The form has already received a boost since with the runner-up Thatwilldoso winning again at Sligo on Wednesday for Kevin Coleman.

Ivatt, by Ghaiyyath and out of a Mastercraftsman mare, remains a maiden after eight starts, but should find the winning thread for Elliott soon and could well be able to win over hurdles, if connections point that direction in time.

Le Nez Creux

(Gavin Cromwell)

Galway, August 2nd

By the high standards that his yard typically operates to, Gavin Cromwell had a relatively quiet Galway Festival, going 0-22 and many of his runners beaten double-digit margins. He has proven time and again that he can deliver on the big stage, however, and there are bound to be better days ahead with many of his Ballybrit runners, such as Robcour’s Le Nez Creux.

She ended up finishing 15 lengths adrift of Blood Destiny when fifth in Sunday’s Lord Hemphill Memorial Handicap Chase, but she moved through the race more promisingly than the bare result suggests. A sticky jump at the third last came at an inopportune time, needing to burn a little extra petrol to get back on terms running to the second last. There’s every chance she simply got a little tired up the hill on her first start in 106 days (previously second in a valuable handicap chase at Ayr on Scottish Grand National day, that being her debut for the yard).

Expect her to build on this and pick up a valuable pot over the course of the season ahead. This €320,000 purchase from France appears to be trip-versatile and is in the right hands to be placed well for a decent handicap victory.