JOSEPH O’Brien trains the early ante-post favourites for both the Tote Galway Plate and Guinness Galway Hurdle.

The weights for the feature races at Galway have not yet been published but this week the entries were released. There are 32 in the Plate and 30 in the Hurdle. The seven-day festival starts on Monday week, July 28th.

O’Brien saddled Nurburgring to win the Hurdle last year and, if successful in the Plate on Wednesday, July 30th, the five-year-old would become the first horse since Ansar to win both races. He won the Hurdle in 2001 and the Plate in 2004 and 2005.

Nurburgring won over fences at Killarney yesterday (see page 33).

O’Brien has also entered the smart Common Practice who counts the Grade 3 Pierce Molony Memorial Novice Chase at Thurles in March among his five career victories.

The Cheltenham Festival winner Jazzy Matty has been entered by trainer Cian Collins with Jesse Evans entered by Noel Meade, trainer of last year’s winner Pinkerton and the 2014 scorer Road To Riches.

Numerically, Gordon Elliott is out on his own with 10 entries including last year’s second and third, Duffle Coat and Zanahiyr, top-mare Shecouldbeanything and the clear-cut McHale Mayo National Handicap Chase winner Western Fold.

Arctic Fly, Blood Destiny and Olympic Man are three of Willie Mullins’ seven entries, while Henry de Bromhead has entered his Kilmurray’s Homevalue Hardware Mullingar Midlands National winner Amirite.

Cheltenham Festival runners-up Anyway and Thecompanysergeant are two eyecatching entries for Ken Budds and Gavin Cromwell respectively. Anyway won a warm beginners’ chase at Kilbeggan recently.

There are no British-trained entries for the Plate and just two from across the Irish Sea for the Hurdle.

The Gordon Elliott-trained Ndaawi, runner-up in last year’s race, is one of 30 entries for the Hurdle on Thursday, July 31st.

Also second home in the County Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in March, he is one of four horses entered by Elliott along with Relieved Of Duties and the more recent winners Casheldale Lad and Bowensonfire.

Willie Mullins has made seven entries for the race with the notable Fairyhouse winners Tounsivator and Blue Lemons, last year’s fourth Winter Fog, and the two-time Grade 3 novice hurdle winner Gaucher among them. A trio for the Joseph O’Brien stable is headed by the Cheltenham Festival winner Puturhandstogether.

Three trainers have made two entries each. Jesse Evans, twice a runner-up in the race, and the Group 1 flat scorer Helvic Dream have been entered by Noel Meade while Gavin Cromwell’s hopefuls are the Grade 1 Dublin Racing Festival scorer Hello Neighbour and Addragoole. Royal Hollow, a winner at the Killarney July Festival, and Sunchart are Andy Slattery’s pair.

The two entries from Britain are Fergal O’Brien’s six-time winner Dysart Enos and the Jonjo and A.J. O’Neill-trained Wilful, a runner-up at the Punchestown Festival. Dysart Enos is an intended runner, according to O’Brien.

Harry Rogers’ admirable veteran Lord Erskine and the Barry Connell-trained Enniskerry also catch the eye.

Tote Galway Plate

Adamantly Chosen (W.P. Mullins), Amirite (H de Bromhead), Anyway (D.K. Budds), Arctic Fly (W.P. Mullins), Ashdale Bob (Mrs J Harrington), Blood Destiny (W.P. Mullins), Buddy One (P.J. Gilligan), Chemical Energy (G. Elliott), Common Practice (J.P. O’Brien), Down Memory Lane (G. Elliott), Duffle Coat (G. Elliott), Fascile Mode (T. Mullins), Gaelic Arc (J.P. Ryan), Jazzy Matty (C. Collins), Jesse Evans (N. Meade), Lisnagar Fortune (W.P. Mullins), Mars Harper (G. Elliott), Must Be Obeyed (T. Gibney), Nurburgring (J.P. O’Brien), Olympic Man (W.P. Mullins), Sea Music (E. Mullins), Senecia (V.L. Halley), Shecouldbeanything (G. Elliott), Spanish Harlem (W.P. Mullins), The Goffer (G.Elliott), Thecompanysergeant (G. Cromwell), Three Card Brag (G. Elliott), Watch The Weather (R.P. Cody), Western Fold (G.Elliott), What’s Up Darling (G. Elliott), Zanahiyr (G. Elliott), Zenta (W.P. Mullins).

Current betting: 6 Nurburgring, 8 Thecompanysergeant, 12 Blood Destiny, Down Memory Lane, 14 Jazzy Matty, 16 Amirite, Olympic Man, Sea Music, 20 Anyway, Arctic Fly, Common Practice, Zanahiyr, Zenta, 25 bar.

Guinness Galway Hurdle

Addragoole (G. Cromwell), Batman Girac (W.P. Mullins), Blue Lemons (W.P. Mullins), Bowensonfire (G. Elliott), Casheldale Lad (G. Elliott), Downmexicoway (H. de Bromhead), Dysart Enos (F. O’Brien), Enniskerry (B. Connell), Gaucher (W.P. Mullins), Hello Neighbour (G. Cromwell), Helvic Dream (N. Meade), Impero (C. Collins), Jalila Moriviere (W.P. Mullins), Jesse Evans (N. Meade), Last Kingdom (W.P. Mullins), Lord Erskine (H. Rogers), Mr Percy (J.P. O’Brien), Ndaawi (G. Elliott), Prairie Dancer (J.P. O’Brien), Putapoundinthejar (A.J. Martin), Puturhandstogether (J.P. O’Brien), Relieved Of Duties (G. Elliott), Royal Hollow (A. Slattery), Senecia (V.L. Halley), Stormalong (D.K. Budds), Sunchart (A. Slattery), Tounsivator (W.P. Mullins), Wilful (J. & A.J. O’Neill), Winter Fog (W.P. Mullins), Zariygann (M. Brassil).

Current betting: 7 Puturhandstogether, 8 Ndaawi, 10 Gaucher, 12 Bowensonfire, Hello Neighbour, Jesse Evans, Mr Percy, Wilful, 14 Last Kingdom, 16 Blue Lemons, Casheldale Lad, Dysart Enos, Enniskerry, Jalila Moriviere, 20 bar.