Bryan Cooper on which horse has been mapped out for today's Galway Hurdle Former jockey Bryan Cooper, who recently described himself as a ‘yes man’ during his fifteen years in the saddle, has enjoyed some fine days at the Galway Festival. Talking to BoyleSports, Cooper discussed the pressure of riding in Galway's big races, the 'rough and tumble' of the Galway Hurdle and why tactical race-riding is so important when attempting to secure victory at the festival. Having finished second in the Hurdle last year, Cooper offers up his views on this year’s renewal. You can enjoy extra places in today's feature along with a host of free bets. Galway Hurdle Tips “There’s still a lot of pressure riding out in a Galway Hurdle or a Galway Plate, they're both incredibly competitive races, with a lot of money on offer and it is every man for himself out there. “It’s very competitive, probably more so this year than what it was last year. “I like Merlin Giant for Emmett Mullins, I think he has been mapped out for this race since his run when beating me at Fairyhouse at the Drinmore meeting in 2022. His last two runs have been a bit disappointing, but the owner Michael Mee loves having runners at Galway and Emmett in these handicaps, you can’t forget about him. “It is also very interesting to see how Tony Martin has managed to get Tudor City back off the exact same mark that he won off last year. It’s a very impressive training performance, he won back on the Flat three weeks ago at the Curragh. “I’ll never forget last year that I got off him to ride Jessie Evans for Noel Meade, I was coming up the run in and I could see a horse in a fluffy noseband coming right behind me and chinned me on the line, lo and behold it was Tudor City. “I remember Tony saying to me that I was so silly to get off him because he knew he’d win. Tudor City does need dry ground though, that’s the key, proper good ground. We have had a wet couple of weeks here in Ireland so that could hinder his chances. “Zarak The Brave as well, he has shown some good juvenile form for Willie Mullins earlier in the year. It is a hard race though for four-year-olds. I do like Merlin Giant, there is more left in the locker." Clever race-riding is key at Galway “It can get quite rough and tumble around Galway! It’s certainly not gentlemanly going around there, there are hard luck stories more often than not. “You need to get a good spot, especially in the Hurdle, Plate, and also the big mile race. It’s always a big cavalry charge, everyone wants to be in the first four or five and there’s probably 20 runners in there. “You find a lot of them will get shuffled back a bit if they don’t travel, if they steady the pace from the front and you’re stuck in behind then you might as well say goodbye to winning as you’ll do well to get into it from the back of the pack.” Cooper was speaking to BoyleSports, who are offering the latest Galway Festival odds 18+ Please gamble responsibly Be Gamble Aware Dunlewey.org
