Guiness Galway Handicap Hurdle Race Tips

Wexford-based trainer Paul Noland has sent out the winner of the Guiness Galway Handicap Hurdle twice in the last four years - Cloone River in 2004 and Say Again in 2002 - and he can repeat the dose with the highly progressive novice, Cuan Na Grai, who is a top-priced 9/1 with Paddy Power. The five-year-old has improved markedly since tackling faster ground, winning his last two races in particularly good style. It has to be said, it's a big jump up in class for the son of Erins Isle to go from relatively minor novice events to a big-field handicap such as this, but he could well be up to it. Indeed, the way Cuan Na Grai went about his business when romping home at Limerick last time suggested that he is a horse going places. The gelding was sent straight into the lead and set a decent gallop, easily drawing clear from three out to beat Assiun by nine lengths. One of the features of that victory was how slick the selection's hurdling was. Given that he has had just seven starts over timber, his jumping technique is remarkably good and although he will not be allowed an easy lead and will need to adapt to the hustle and bustle of this type of event, he could easily go on to prove himself to be much better than his current rating of 123, so I am pretty confident that he will go mighty close here. The well-backed ante-post favourite Kinger Rocks will be a tough not to crack. Dermot Weld, who is the leading trainer at the Galway Festival, is an exceptionally astute handler, and it is clear that he has laid out the daughter of Desert King for this race, so it's unsurprising that he has attracted support. The five-year-old mare, runner-up on her latest outing over hurdles when unsuited by the soft going, was kept up to her work to land a 14-furlong race on the level at Listowel when last seen out in June, underlining her penchant for top of the ground, and posting a fine trial for this race in the process. The level of form she has achieved overall is sound, and it's likely that we've yet to see the best of Kinger Rocks. However, even allowing for the fact that she is open to more improvement than most, I couldn't entertain her at odds of around the 9/2 mark, and at double that price Cuan Na Grai is far more appealing. The Fonze is an interesting contender. His canny trainer, Eoin Doyle, sent the Desert Sun gelding over to Lingfield where he readily won back-to-back handicaps on the Polytrack surface, landing nice touches on both occasions. He is clearly on the upgrade and merits respect, but he appears much happier when there's plenty of juice in the ground, and the going on Thursday will be the quickest he's ever encountered, which is concerning. The Charlie Swan-trained Emmpat, winner of two of his last four starts on the Flat, was sent off favourite for the valuable Swinton Hurdle at Haydock in May, but, after being given a confident ride by Ruby Walsh, he stayed on well enough but was never going the pace to trouble the leaders. He is, however, probably a little bit better than he showed that day, so merits respect. Best of the rest could prove to be Telemachus, who was formerly a decent, but somewhat inconsistent, handicapper in England. He's only had a handful of races in this sphere, but is clearly going the right way judged on his victory in a decent maiden hurdle at Tipperary in June. Subsequently, the six-year-old has scored twice on the level, including when landing a valuable handicap at The Curragh last time out, and he is also entitled to a good deal of respect. Verdict - 1pt Cuan Na Grai @ 9/1 (Paddy Power)