Galway Festival: final day

The Galway Festival ends today with 1 steeplechase, 2 hurdles races, 3 flat races and a bumper, most of them with maximum fields. Best jumps race is the handicap hurdle over 2 1/4 miles at 15.15 CET, in which German-bred Arc Lemanique (Margaret O´Sullivan/ Niall Madden) is one of several leading fancies. Top-weights Prnce Erik (Dermot Weld/ Robbie McNamara) and Halla San (Richard Fahey/ Denis O´Regan) both ran earlier this week on the flat here and cannot be discounted, while the booking of Ruby Walsh for Tony Martin s Dream Champion suggests that this one will start favourite.The best flat race is the 7 furlongs handicap at 16.15, another wide-open affair. Dermot Weld saddles two, with stable jockey Pat Smullen partnering Thoughless Moment. Russian Empress (David Myerscough/ Paul Beggy) looks dangerous, while Capt. Chaos (Edward Lynam/ Willie Supple) has a huge weight for a 3yo against older horses, but is the class act in the field. However Dermot Weld, the leading trainer as usual at this meeting, fares in these races, he should surely win the 3-4yo fillies maiden over 1 1/2 miles at 17.15 with Suailce, owned by the President of Ireland, who has been runner-up on all her 4 career starts so far and should finally get her head in front this time.