Time to Dream.. again
DREAM Walker has a great each-way chance in today’s Colm Quinn BMW Mile in Galway.
I’ve ridden the nine-year-old twice in Galway and won on him both times, in the Sunday feature the Ahonoora Handicap, for the last two years.
He was trained until this year by Brian Ellison, but has shown promise in his two runs for Jarlath
Fahey, particularly in Gowran last time, on unsuitably quick ground. And this week has always been the plan for him.
He ran a cracker in the Mile last year, finishing a close third to Riven Light, before going on to win for me on the Sunday. And it’s the plan again to run in both races.
He’s drawn in eight, beside the favourite, the Ger Lyons-trained
Inscribe. But, with Dream Walker, it’s a case of letting my horse sort himself out and producing him late.
Dream Walker always runs well around here. There will be plenty of pace in the race, which should set things up nicely for me and I think he has a good each-way shout.
Obviously it’s a very good race for such big money. Last years’ winner Riven Light has it all to do, on his first run back, under top-weight and from stall 18. But he comes from a top yard.
Brian Ellison’s
Baraweez always runs well here and plenty of good judges think the Ger Lyons-trained favourite Inscribe is the one to beat.
And a sneaky one down the bottom is Michael O’callaghan’s Rionach – she could be anything, although it won’t be easy for her in her first handicap.
I have three other rides tonight, unless first reserve, Pat Flynn’s Storm Ranger gets into the 55-70 mile handicap, which looks unlikely.
Iiex Excelca is the best of my other rides, in the seven-furlong maiden, which, on form looks a match between our filly and the Lyons runner Would Be King, which is rated 98.
Our filly won her maiden in Cork back in the spring, but lost it on technical grounds. She’s a straight-forward, genuine filly. She was highly-tried a couple of times and, last time, chased home Conclusion in Limerick.
Ground conditions should be ideal for her and I’ll be surprised if she’s not in the shake-up.
I’ll be on Merited, for ‘Sneezy’ Foster in the last, hoping she can reproduce her debut effort behind Most Gifted and Hence in Cork. If she does, and puts her last disappointing run behind her, she could have an each-way squeak in a very tough seven-furlong handicap.
WAS gutted to get caught on Wargrave last night. He tried hard for me and stayed on well up the hill. And, just when I had fought off the horses around me, Colin Keane’s horse (Zander) arrived fast and late.