Pearl can sparkle in Hurdle

The Guinness Galway Hurdle at Ballybrit this afternoon is a total puzzle and only a supreme optimist would be in any way confident of finding the winner.

It is, of course, always a difficult race to solve anyway, but is even more complicated than normal this time around with no less than nine challengers from across the water.

And it is one of them, the four-year-old and bottom weight, Pearl Castle, who is burdened with the vote.