Galway

[LeMale]

With Goodwood a day away, i don't believe any one will be rating anything here, but will give any one who wants to know a little insight of the course anyway. 

Firstly, as i said last week, i am NO EXPERT, but this meeting has always caught my attention because of the unusual nature of combining Flat and Jump Racing, and i hope i have the right meeting, i think i do, as today it has 2 jump races, 4 flat races and ends with a NH Flat race. 

As i say, i am not an expert, but i would say that this track must be almost (i say almost because i don't know for a fact) one of a kind as it is almost a circle, but because of the short straight is more D-shaped, tight and is between 1m 2f to 1m 3f. It's a right handed track and i believe the whole straight is about 2f, however, only about 1f off the last bend to the finishing post, so very short and very steep. Would have to be VERY certain of backing any horse up in trip because of that finish and i wouldn't have thought you would have much luck backing hold-up horses due to the constant turning and short finish, as well as a lot of traffic in big fields. Because it must seem like you are always turning, common sense tells you a low draw seems the place to be, maybe more so over 7f and a mile and i don't know this for a fact either, but like the course the other day, i don't think they run 5 and 6f here. I think my best bit of advice for this track would be the old "horses for courses" rule and if you find a horse with acourse and distance win, or just course wins, that maybe the one to be on. (i believe last year or the year before, i had a bit of luck with what looked like out of form horses at nice prices that had done well at the course before.) 

Hope this helps some one and for you Richard, course form and possibly horses dropping in distance should be high on the things you enter into your computer. 

Edit - Forgot to mention that the above is based on the Flat racing, as i don't really bet much on the jump racing, but maybe the same logic applies. 

Edited July 29 by LeMale

[Trotter]

Just looking at the Racing Post and it describes the track as 

'Right-handed, undulating track with sharp descent before 2f uphill run-in. Circuit testing 1m2f'

I guess everything about it would suit front runners apart from the steep uphill finish .......... so maybe look  for a front runner who has won over a furlong or two further or who has 'stiff finish form' at today's trip

I don't really know enough about the Irish tracks to just 'know' which would be similar