Tips for Galway Saturday As we head into the weekend’s racing at Galway it often pays to look out for horses having their second run of the week at the seven day long Festival. These horses have a tremendous record in the BoyleSports sponsored feature event on today’s card, the €110,000 Listed BoyleSports Handicap Hurdle at 2.30pm. Three of the last four winners of this race had a spin around the track earlier in the week before scooping this big pot. Shark Hanlon followed that successful route with the locally-owned Hallowed Star to win last year and has followed the same tried and tested formula in a bid to win back-to-back renewals of this prestigious handicap hurdle today. Hallowed Star finished a respectable sixth in a flat race here on Wednesday evening. Maze Runner (10th) and Dartan (14th) finished down the field in the Connacht Hotel QR flat handicap on Monday evening and while those performances wouldn’t inspire confidence ahead of their runs in the BoyleSports Handicap Hurdle, they could well up their game in this staying event over 2 miles and 6 furlongs. Elsewhere on today’s card at Galway there are other ‘second time outers’ of the week that look to also have strong claims. In the opening Maiden Hurdle Emmet Mullins and Shark Hanlon run a pair of likely contenders in the same ownership as Hallowed Star. Emmet Mullins’ This Songisforyou won a bumper at last year’s festival and again performed well at the track when third in a flat maiden here on Wednesday. Shark Hanlon’s Enfranchise was fifth in novice hurdle on Tuesday and the tongue strap she wore for the first time that day has been discarded here. Later on in the Ardilaun Hotel Handicap at 4.50pm there are four horses having their second engagements of the week and perhaps the one to focus on among them is the top weight Half Nutz. Aido McGuinness’ charge was a shade unlucky here on Tuesday when he finished fifth in a big field handicap over the course and distance. On that occasion he missed the break and had to come wide around the field turning into the straight. With a smoother passage today he looks a strong contender. The other runners in this race having their second outings of the week are The Mpex Kid, Little Keilee and Rathbranchurch. It is somewhat interesting that Shane Foley who partnered Half Nutz on Tuesday is back aboard The Mpex Kid which he rode when it finished towards the rear over a slightly longer trip on the same evening. The McDonagh Capital Investments Handicap at 5.25pm sees another quintet of horses declared for at least the second time this week at Galway. Among them is One Cool Poet (also declared Friday) who memorably won three races during this week in 2019. The veteran was well beaten in a hurdle race here on Monday which would temper enthusiasm, but if he were to show more of his old sparkle on Friday and turn out again 24 hours later it would put a different light on his chances. Mon Coeur on the other hand ran a cracker here on Wednesday in a two mile handicap when he finished second for the fourth time in a row when beaten by Last Ammo. Mon Coeur was 13 lengths clear of the third placed horse in that event and if he isn’t inconvenienced by this shorter distance he would appear to be hard to beat off an unchanged rating. No Thanks (also declared Friday), a long way behind Mon Coeur on Wednesday, Dark Note, fourth in the opening race of the week, and Wrecking Ball Paul which pulled up in a handicap hurdle on the same evening are the other horses in this contest having a second run of the week. If you are placing any bets at Galway today consider BoyleSports enhanced place terms. The leading bookmaker is offering customers in the UK and Ireland the following terms: 7+ must run for 3 places, 12+ must run for 4 places, 16+ must run for 5 places, 20+ must run for 6 places, 22+ must run for 7 places. It is one fifth the odds for the place portion of the bet in each race. Suggested bets today: This Songisforyou 1.55pm Hallowed Star 2.30pm Half Nuts 4.50pm Mon Coeur 5.25pm
