The Tote.com Galway Plate runs at 5.30 this evening and Road to Riches will be there vying for his second win in this race in three years. Last time out he fell at Punchestown but his trainer Noel Meade feels he’s had a good rest and although he is top weight today, he can do the double. The Plate is the main event at the Galway festival, there ae 22 runners and riders today and Road to Riches is the bookies favourite at the moment, with good odds still of 4/1 with Ladbrokes.
Moving to the UK and Glorious Goodwood, yesterday the festival started in good style with Ryan Moore and Aidan O’Brien still in form. Today it’s the turn of The Gurkha in the 3.10 at Goodwood. Although O’Brien has had plenty of success in the Sussex Stakes, Moore is yet to win one. O’Brien has had four previous wins from his Ballydoyle stable in Giant's Causeway, Rock Of Gibraltar, Henrythenavigator and most recently, Rip Van Winkle in 2009, he’s hoping The Gurkha will make it five and Moore can celebrate an already fantastic year for the duo. The Gurkha has odds today of 15/8 with William Hill and is the favourite going into the race.
Moore is up against old adversary Frankie Detorri and Galileo Gold, which will be no walk in the park, also running in the 10 strong field is Awtaad, the Kevin Prendergast-trained colt. Make no mistake this will be a tough race for all of them today, the going is good to firm which should suit the Gurkha as he’s dropped back down to the mile length. Odds on Galileo Gold are 9/4 with Skybet and Awtaad is 6/1 with Bet365.
This will be a hard race to work out which one will win today, all of them are in good form, so it will be another exciting day at Goodwood and I for one can’t wait to see how it pans out. There is plenty of racing around today at other tracks, Leicester, Perth, Redcar and Sandown and in France at Vichy.
As ever, get those early prices and Good Luck today.