Galway Plate today

Galway stages its third day of the Festival Meeting today, this time with an afternoon start. The race everybody wants to win is the Galway Plate at 18.30 CET, a handicap chase over 2 3/4 miles with 20 runners. Carlingford Lough, the ante-post favourite is at the moment the first reserve and not certain to run. The short list includes Terminal (Willie Mullins/ Ruby Walsh) and Romanesco (Gordon Elliott/ Davy Russell), but with the ground expected to be very soft, we will take a chance on veteran Tranquil Sea (Edward O´Grady/ Andrew McNamara), who is very well handicapped on his old form and will relish these conditions. We hope the stable is in good form, as we also like O´Grady´s Tugboat (Barry Geraghty) in the handicap hurdle at 17.10.
Tony Martin has been the trainer to follow so far at this meeting, and he can take the opening maiden hurdle at 16.00 with Blackmail (Ruby Walsh), but Dermot Weld can hit back with Alkali (Jane Mangan) at 17.45 and Lucky Kitten at 19.40 and Jayed Jidan (both Pat Smullern) at 20.10.

Betting forecast:
1. Race: Enchanted Forest - Blackmail - Minella Reception
2. Race: Lady Of Glencoe - Courtncatcher - Six Stone Ned
3. Race: Shanpallas - Blackwell Synergy - Usuel Smurfer
4. Race: Union Dues - Beyond Berlin - Alkali
5. Race: Terminal - Majestic Concorde - Romanesco
6. Race: Moonbi Creek - Daigreen - The Alarm Clock
7. Race: Lucky Kitten - Luna Forest - Indian Icon
8. Race: Passagere - Velocity Of Sound - Sweet Refusal