Overturn a stone higher in weights for Galway Hurdle
The Cheshire-based habitual front-runner can compete in the €260,000 feature of Galway’s Summer Festival off top weight of 11-10 against a maximum of 19 rivals that may well include last year’s second and third, Bahrain Storm (11-5) and Dirar (10-1) respectively.
Senior Irish assessor, Noel O’Brien, has raised McCain’s charge to a career-high mark of 159 in Ireland in the weights published yesterday. Only 16 of the other 40 entries are currently in the handicap proper.
Successful for Pat Flynn’s Co Waterford stable in the Guinness Hurdle two years ago from Deutschland (9-13), Bahrain Storm could tackle the previous afternoon’s Tote Ireland-sponsored €200,000 Galway Plate instead off bottom weight of 9-10.
Conversely the Plate’s current top weight, Captain Cee Bee (11-10), from Eddie Harty’s Curragh yard, might make a rare foray over hurdles with 10-11 on his back, 6lb below his previous best rating in this sphere.
There’s a more even-spread of weights, however, for the Tote-backed historic event, with a maximum field of 22 runners, as 27 of the 59 entered figure among the leading two-stone range, including last year’s Tom Taaffe-trained hero, Finger Onthe Pulse (10-8).
The Dermot Weld-trained Majestic Concorde (11-0), which landed the Paddy Power Handicap Chase at Leopardstown last Christmas and was a close third in the Plate 12 months ago, has mirrored Finger Onthe Pulse’s 9lb rise in O’Brien’s ratings.
