Ben Hur can give Meade landmark 3,000th career success
LANDMARK CHASER: Noel Meade may have considerable reason to smile at Ballybrit on Tuesday if Ben Hur delivers in the Galway Handicap. Picture: Seb Daly/Sportsfile
Ben Hur can provide Noel Meade with his 3,000th career success by winning the Galway Handicap, the penultimate race on Tuesday’s eight-race Flat card at Ballybrit.
A dual-purpose horse, Ben Hur has run with credit on all three starts this year, finishing third on the Flat at the Galway festival at the end of July before winning at Leopardstown on the level a month later.
He maintained his good form when runner-up to Game Point back over hurdles in a listed contest at Listowel last month.
Should he run to the level he has consistently run this year, he can give his decorated trainer a landmark success.
In the hat-trick seeking Ryefield Dasher, Ben Hur faces an in-form rival but the Coulsty gelding can get the better of the argument.
Elsewhere on the card, the final Ballybrit meeting of the year, Nonsense can get the better of Ballydoyle pair Imposing and Oklahoma to win the Electric Galway Maiden.
The John O’Donoghue-trained Zarak gelding produced a cracking debut effort to finish second to Hmas Perth at the Curragh earlier this month.
A 33-1 shot that day, Nonsense will be a considerably shorter price this time and may be able to go one place better this time.
Unless newcomer San Juan De Lope is above average, the opening race, the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies Maiden, looks a good opportunity for Wunderschon to get off the mark.
Seventh at this venue on debut in July, the Jessica Harrington-trained Sea The Moon filly then finished third at Roscommon at the end of August before finishing fourth on her last two starts, at Punchestown and Leopardstown respectively.
Her Leopardstown fourth came in Group 3 company and should she run to that level back in maiden company, she ought to go close.
Stablemate Saliba should be in the mix in the Corrib Food Products Maiden but the recent Roscommon runner-up may again have to settle for minor honours if newcomer Subtle Shade is above average. The market will be the best guide on the debut prospects of the Joseph O’Brien-trained Sioux Nation filly.
12.50 Wunderschon
1.20 Jp's Express
1.55 Nonsense (NB)
2.25 Wecouldavehaditall
2.55 Subtle Shade
3.25 La Tulipe Noire
3.55 Ben Hur (Nap)
4.25 Inver Bay
12.50 San Juan De Lope
1.20 Highbury See See
1.55 Imposing
2.25 Darlene
2.55 Saliba
3.25 Real Petite
3.55 Ryefield Dasher
4.25 Dark Summit
