Tuesday 1 August marks the second day of the 2023 Galway Festival – a week-long bonanza of both Flat and Jumps racing.
I’ve picked out a couple that interest me on Day 2, which commences at 5.10 and finishes not long after 8.20.
5.10 – Absurde @ 5/6
First and foremost, I wouldn’t oppose Willie Mullins’ quartet in the Listed novice hurdle that opens the second day of the 2023 Galway Festival.
The Closutton handler’s form of late has been, quite frankly, absurd. He’s operating at a 67% strike rate in the last 14 days, with four winners from six runners.
It wouldn’t be a surprise were any of his four to win this, but it’s a significant tell that Paul Townend has chosen to ride €260,000 French recruit Absurde.
The five-year-old son of Fastnet Rock was well above average on the level over on the other side of The Channel and ran a blinder behind stablemate Vauban in the Copper Horse Handicap at Royal Ascot exactly 42 days ago.
Crucially, he’s already had a spin over hurdles courtesy of a comfortable success at Killarney in the middle of May. The horse in second that day, Emily Roebling, is far from special, but she was coming off the back of a career-best triumph and Mullins’ gelding did do it very easily.
This lad has a fair reputation and if he’s going to live up to it he ought to be winning this.
7.15 – Livio Milo @ 15/8
I have this 7f maiden between four – namely Pier Pressure, Nelda, Alexander John and Livio Milo.
The former two bring strong, closely-matched form to the table, but neither have raced on anything worse than good ground to date – while Alexander John is in dire form and ran just five days ago.
That makes Livio Milo a pretty straightforward selection for this.
Dermot Weld’s three-year-old son of Lope De Vega is becoming a bit frustrating with four seconds on his record, but he’s shown an aptitude for deep ground on multiple occasions which gives him a major advantage on this ground and in this field.
He also boasts good form in and around some nice types, and I would argue this slightlier easier assignment is exactly what he needs to break his duck.
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