Galway likely to be indicator of just how bad things are, and how much worse they might get

GALWAY, starting on Monday, is certainly going to give us a real snapshot as to the state of play as far as racing in this country is concerned right now.

It would be ridiculous to think Ballybrit isn’t going to suffer and if the meeting manages to set any new records, attendance-wise or for betting, then that will be nothing short of astonishing.

The An Bord Snip Nua’s proposal, that the funding for Ireland’s horseracing and greyhound racing be slashed by €16.6m, has reverberated through both industries for the last week.

If the government follows through on the recommendations then horseracing will lose some €13m next year and that will have massive ramifications for a dwindling budget, which has already been reduced.

Galway then will represent a watershed and is likely to indicate just how bad things are, and how much worse they might actually get.

That said, it is an absolute certainty the thousands who will still flock to the meeting for the seven-day extravaganza will not give An Bord Snip Nua the slightest thought whatsoever.

The Plate and the Hurdle, as always, are the biggies and you can only marvel at the efforts of the bookmakers to price up both races.

You would want to be half-mad to bet on either contest, until you have some notion as to how the races are going to shape up.

The bookmakers are all agreed that Paul Nicholls’ Roby De Cimbre should be favourite for the Plate.

Many of us got a little touch in the Plate a year ago, when Nicholls won with Oslot, and it now seems a clear case of once bitten twice shy with the layers this time round.

They obviously fear lightning striking twice, but, to my way of thinking, and I’d be no expert on the English formbook, Roby De Cimbre doesn’t appear to be anywhere near as strong a candidate as Oslot.

I think we might go looking elsewhere for the winner. It seems reasonable to assume that Nicholls’ Hoo La Baloo will carry top weight.

Deutschland currently has that dubious honour, but it would be a mild surprise if Willie Mullins asked the six-year-old to run.

Tony Martin’s Northern Alliance (11-4) and Dermot Weld’s Majestic Concorde (11-2) are of immediate interest, but you could hardly describe either as exactly thrown in.

One that very much catches the eye is Martin’s Aggie’s Lad (10-1). I thought he produced a cracking trial when third at Killarney last week.

But will he even get into the race? Only 22 will be allowed to run and Aggie’s Lad is situated on number 35 at the moment. Can’t play until we know more.

If the Plate is a puzzle then the Hurdle is an even bigger one. Two English horses, Katies Tuitor and Sporazene, top the weights and you cannot see them meeting the engagement. Ebaziyan is next, but he performed deplorably at Tipperary on Sunday.

Then to complicate matters somewhat, Northern Alliance only has 10-2 and Deutschland just 9-10.

Deutschland appears particularly attractive and I’ll be amazed if this isn’t his target. But will the six-year-old get in, considering he is perched at number 32 in the handicap?

As usual, we will more than likely be placing a lot of our faith in Dermot Weld and it’s an uncomplicated system which has looked after us reasonably well for as long as we’ve been heading west.

Weld’s Stunning View will probably have the job of putting us in good humour for the week in the colts and geldings two-year-old maiden on Monday night.

The world and its mother saw him finishing second behind Kevin Prendergast’s highly-regarded Kingsfort at the Curragh and most, you’d imagine, quickly slotted him in for Galway.

On Tuesday night, it will be the turn of Weld’s Brushed Aside in the two-year-old maiden for fillies.

Again, she appeared to have Galway written all over her when coming from behind to take fourth to Tommy Stack’s Rahya Cass at the Curragh. Weld won both of those races a year ago.

And then there’s a three-year-old filly of Weld’s called Dazzle Dancer, who should be hard to beat, if this is now the goal. She was a big disappointment at Killarney in May, Weld’s inmates were struggling for a bit of form at the time, but looked right back on track when beaten a neck by John Oxx’s Eytarna at Gowran Park earlier this month.