STAR PREVIEW: Galway Festival Day One

[dropcap]N[/dropcap]ice result last night with Jamaica v Mexico in the CONCACAF Gold Cup Final and the over 2.5 goals bet landed.

Stamina is the order of the week for punters with the Galway (AKA ‘Weld’) Festival starting this evening and Glorious Goodwood underway on Tuesday.

After Golden Horn’s late withdrawal on Saturday in the King George there was further disappointing news today that dual Guineas winner Gleneagles will miss the Qatar Sussex Stakes on Wednesday due to the state of the ground.

After 18mm of rain hit the Sussex track on Sunday, Coolmore spokesman Kevin Buckley said: “Gleneagles is 100%, but he hasn’t been declared due to the present going at Goodwood.”

Galway starts at 5.15pm on soft ground – it’s a mixed card tonight and the clerk of the course is reporting slightly better ground on the flat and bumper course.

Many punters back the Weld runners blind and it’s not exactly the most crackpot system give the way his horses are tuned to the minute for the Galway extravaganza.

The opener looks a match between Weld’s Zafayan and the Willie Mullins trained Bachasson who was a dual bumper winner in France and generally pretty impressive bar some sketchy jumping on his Irish debut at Sligo. Folly, probably, but I’m opposing Weld and siding with Bachasson.

In the 7.50pm favourites don’t have a good record and again I’m taking on the Weld trained favourite (Harasava) with Aidan O’Brien’s Loved.

Loved was pitched in at the deep end on her debut – unusually starting off in Group 3 company and beating only one horse home.

She improved to win her maiden at Limerick last time out and can improve to win this on her handicap debut.

I’m keeping stakes relatively low. Excuse the cliché but it really is a marathon and not a sprint this week.

RECOMMENDED BETS (scale of 1-50 points)

BACK LOVED (7.50 Galway) for 5 points at around 7/2 with Star Sports

RETURN SINCE START OF WORLD CUP: LOSS 22.99 POINTS

What’s your view? CALL STAR SPORTS 08000 521 321