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European handicap betting tips from 188BET bookmaker

A tramping of sea boots was heard in the entry; the door was flung open, and in rolled a wild set of mariners enough. Enveloped in their shaggy watch coats, and with their heads muffled in woollen comforters, all bedarned and ragged, and their beards stiff with icicles, they seemed an eruption of bears from Labrador. They had just landed from their boat, and this was the first house they entered. No wonder, then, that they made a straight wake for the whale's mouth—the bar—when the wrinkled little old Jonah, there officiating, soon poured them out brimmers all round.

If you are new to football betting, you will not want to miss the European handicap at 188BET. This is one of the most popular types and is not difficult to access. In order to have an effective European handicap, you need to have all the necessary information about this bet. The following article of BET88 introduces you to how to read the right matchmaking, helping to increase your chances of winning. This will help you to get a high bonus profit from bookie 188BET.

 

  1. Overall: 

The European Handicap, also known as the “1 × 2 handicap” is the odds that 188BET bookmaker uses to determine which team is stronger and weaker. This is a common bet among bookmakers. Players need to have the skill and understanding of this 1 × 2 bet to predict the match.

 

There are 3 ways to bet on this handicap: Win – Loss – Draw. Players can choose to put on their favorite team; But the best bet based on the odds to choose the team to bet. That is, the European handicap does not care what the score is. Players only need to know which team wins, fails or draws. These are the three odds of the 1 × 2 bet. 

 

  • How to read the European handicap: To read European handicap easily, you need to understand the symbols of the odds chart. The European Handicap is written as follows: 1 × 2
  • 1: Home Team: Home team wins, you win.
  • X: Draw (Draw): if the score is tied, you win.
  • 2: Away Team: Away team wins, you win.
  • Currently, there are 2 main types:
  • FT.1X2: 1 × 2 European handicap for the whole match.
  • 1H.1X2: European 1 × 2 handicap for the first half.

 

Bet on 3-way odds. So your odds of winning are only 33.33%. For new players this is an okay level for them to bet on.

 

  1. Tips to play the European handicap:

The dealer will give the odds for the weaker team very high. They are always looking for ways to get the most profits. In terminology, this is the form of the lure. They will lure players to pump money into the bottom door with the highest odds.

 

If you win, you can eat a lot of money. Placing a tie door also reaped quite a profit. But winning in these 2 doors is not easy for players.

 

Experience is to place bets 3-5 days before the match. This time, the house rarely changes the odds table. Only when it is almost time for the match to take place, the house will continuously switch the handicap.

 

Furthermore, it is possible to put in multiple probabilities instead of just one based on feelings. Putting on only one probability makes it easier for us to fall into the house trap when the match is that the two teams are not too different.

 

Like all other types of markets, players should also spend time searching for information on the two teams. The parameters we need to pay attention to are: performance, lineups, history of confrontation between two teams, weather situation, field, etc. to be able to make the most accurate judgments before placing a bet. To be more confident, you can refer to the expert’s comments and predictions to be able to bet more accurately. European markets are often very unpredictable, so you should study carefully and meticulously to win.

 

CONCLUSION

In sports betting is not a game of chance because it directly affects your finances, which can make you more likely to lose if you do not know how to play. Longtime bettors can still play Europe and other bets to ensure their financial income. Hope that the above article has helped you get more experience playing European handicap at 188BET. Wish newcomers win more with this bet. Hope to receive good news from you soon.

Heineken Cup: Leinster vs Saracens Preview

On the only other occasion that Leinster qualified as the number 1 ranked club from the Pool stage, they went on to lift the Heineken Cup trophy, defeating Racing 92 in the final in Bilbao. In fact, this was just two seasons ago in 2017/18. Furthermore, they beat Saracens 30-19 in the Aviva Stadium at the quarter-final stage that year. A fixture that is repeated this weekend.

Leinster go into this game fresh from their Pro14 Final win over Ulster, who also feature in the quarter-finals. Last weekend, they won 27-5 against their northern rivals in the Aviva. Cullen had such faith in his team that he rested key players for this one.

For example, the trustworthy Ross Byrne stepped in at out-half. Johnny Sexton was saved for this weekend and only played the final twenty minutes against Ulster. Likewise, Jamison Gibson-Park replaced Luke McGrath at scrum-half. McGrath also played the last quarter but was saved for the Saracens fixture.

In addition, Leo Cullen’s squad depth was boosted by the return of James Ryan. In his first game back from injury, Ryan managed sixty-two minutes. His presence will be major in the coming cup run. Dan Leavy and Tadgh Furlong will also be available for selection.

Wounded Saracens

Earlier in the season, the Premiership sentenced Saracens to relegation for breaching the salary cap. This makes the Heineken Cup the last chance of a successful season for last year’s double-winners.

However, Saracens suffered a major loss recently against the Wasps. The referee showed Owen Farrell a straight red card for a high tackle of Charlie Atkinson. As a result, the England captain is serving a five-game ban.

Saracens won the final last year against Leinster by 20 points to 10. In spite of this, this year’s fixture looks much tougher, especially with the loss of their talisman.

On the other hand, Leinster will recall McGrath and Sexton to get even stronger. Meanwhile, competition among the pack makes for a guaranteed strong selection.

Leinster have won their last four quarter-finals in a row and will aim to continue this streak on Saturday. Getting revenge for last year’s final would make it all the more sweeter.

Heineken Cup Quarter-Final: Leinster vs Saracens (Aviva Stadium), Saturday 19th September 15:00 (BT Sport 3). 

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SJI Autumn Grand Prix results from Mullingar

The SJI Autumn Grand Prix kicked off this weekend as Mullingar Equestrian hosted two rounds of the series.

On Saturday, the 1.35m saw 69 combinations taking on the Alan Wade-designed course. There were joint winners in the opening round, with Sligo’s Richard Kerins and Wicklow’s Brendan Murphy sharing the winner’s share of the €2,000 on offer.

Kerins, who was riding the 10-year-old mare Achonry Carie and Murphy, aboard the 10-year-old Irish Sport Horse Immun Ocean Ogara, both stopped the clock, clear in 30.74 seconds.

There was nothing between the next placing as John Floody and the Irish Sport Horse Ballyknock Diamond also produced a clear round in a slower time of 31.01 seconds for third place.

Derek McConnell is proving to be a dominant force on the Underwriting Exchange Grand Prix circuit and he made his mark when claiming fourth place, riding Izzy, as the combination kept the poles in place in a time of 31.65 seconds.

John Floody took another share of the line-up when he partnered the Kevin Thompson and Geralyn Thompson-owned Donevan Erkindale to a clear in 31.81 for fifth place.

Longford’s Robert Harrison and the Robert Fagan owned Ballycarrick Lass completed the top-six line up when he crossed the line clear in 32.19 seconds.

Sunday’s 1.40m Autumn Grand Prix

On Sunday, 48 combinations lined out to contest the 1.40m €6,000 Horse Sport Ireland sponsored class.

With competitors up for the challenge, 11 combinations booked their place against the clock.

Ger O’Neill and Keatingstown Z Wellie Two, who were the fastest of nine double clears in 35.91 seconds, took the win. The Sharon Fitzpatrick owned and bred nine-year-old has proven successful at home and abroad under the guidance of Fitzpatrick and more recently under O’Neill.

Fellow Kilkenny young rider, Séamus Hughes Kennedy took the runner-up spot when he piloted his mother Clare’s eight-year-old, Cuffesgrange Cavadora, a half-sister to the class winner, Keatingstown Z Wellie Two, to a clear in 40.49 seconds.

Third place went to another young rider, Jennifer Kuehnle and Tullibards Miss Optimistic, when they stopped the clock in 41.03 seconds.

Philip Gaw came home in fourth with a clean sheet aboard Ardnacashel Coovella in 42.06 seconds, as did the next placer, Capt. Charlene Kehoe and Shannondale Rahona, who clocked 42.08 seconds.

Kilkenny rider Vincent Byrne delivered a clear with Cocoblue in a time of 42.23 seconds for sixth place.

Tiger Moth given Lexus Melbourne Cup penalty

Racing Victoria Executive General Manager – Racing, Greg Carpenter, has announced that he has issued a weight penalty to Tiger Moth in the AUD $8 million Lexus Melbourne Cup (3200m) at Flemington on 3 November.

The Aidan O’Brien-trained three-year-old became eligible for a penalty in the Melbourne Cup following his win in Saturday’s Group 3 Kilternan Stakes at Leopardstown.

Carpenter has penalised the Coolmore partners-owned colt 2.5kg in the Melbourne Cup taking his weight from 50kg to 52.5kg. The penalty sees him move to 12th in the Melbourne Cup Order of Entry where he is now guaranteed a start.

Carpenter said: “When releasing the weights, I identified Tiger Moth as one of the more difficult horses to assess given he had only run three times. He was beaten in a 1400m maiden on debut, then won a maiden over 2000m and was beaten a head in the Group 1 Irish Derby by stablemate Santiago.

“His dominant win in the Group 3 Kilternan Stakes now supports his Irish Derby performance and the form from the Derby has been enhanced with the winner Santiago finishing third to Stradivarius in the Group 1 Goodwood Cup and then over the weekend he was fourth, beaten 1.5 lengths, in the Group 1 English St Leger.

“The 2.5kg penalty takes Tiger Moth to 1kg below fellow Northern Hemisphere three-year-olds Santiago and Russian Camelot who both have 53.5kg in the Melbourne Cup.

“Recent Northern Hemisphere three-year-olds Cross Counter (51kg) and Rekindling (51.5kg) won the Melbourne Cup at their eighth and 10th start respectively. If Tiger Moth does not run again, he will go into the Melbourne Cup at just his fifth career start where he would seek to become the least experienced winner in nearly 140 years.”

Tiger Moth is also entered for the AUD $5.15 million Stella Artois Caulfield Cup (2400m) on 17 October, but under the conditions of that race he cannot be penalised for Saturday’s win and thus remains on 50kg and at 64th in the Caulfield Cup Order of Entry.

The conditions of the Caulfield Cup mean that Tiger Moth’s stablemates Mogul (Group 1 Prix de Paris winner) and Anthony Van Dyck (Group 2 Prix de Foy victor) cannot be penalised in that race either for their feature wins at ParisLongchamp on Sunday.

With Mogul entered for the Caulfield Cup and Ladbrokes Cox Plate (2040m, The Valley, 24 October) only, Carpenter and the RV handicapping team only had to give consideration as to whether Anthony Van Dyck would be issued a penalty for the Melbourne Cup. They have elected not to.

Carpenter said: “We have elected not to penalise the Prix de Foy winner Anthony Van Dyck for the Melbourne Cup where he already has 58.5kg and is the topweight in the race. He had finished 2.5 lengths ahead of Stradivarius in the 2400m Coronation Cup earlier in the season and last night again beat Stradivarius over 2400m this time by only a short neck. Anthony Van Dyck already faces a significant challenge with 58.5kg in the Melbourne Cup with Think Big in 1975 the last horse to carry more than 58kg to victory.”

The Orders of Entry for both the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups have been updated as a result of the weekend’s racing action.

Mogul and stablemate Armory, who was third against older horses in Saturday’s Group 1 Longines Irish Champions Stakes, have had their international rating lifted as a result of their weekend performances. This has seen Armory move from 32nd to 24th in the Caulfield Cup Order of Entry, while Mogul has risen from 34th to 25th.

Michael G Duffy and Chappo Chey take Dutch Grand Prix

Mayo’s Michael G Duffy and the 11-year-old gelding Chappo Chey won the two-star Grand Prix at Valkenswaard in The Netherlands on Sunday.

The Irish combination came out on top after a hugely competitive 18 horse jump-off. The Mayo rider posted the winning clear in a time of 38.41 seconds to finish ahead of Britain’s Jack Whitaker in second with Parkmore Rowan while Belgium’s Olivier Philippaerts took third with Le Blue Diamond v’t Ruytershof.

Later at the same venue, a double clear round from Tipperary’s Shane Breen and Z7 Ipswich helped New York Empire to a third place finish in the Global Champions League while Breen and Z7 Ipswich also finished third individually.

Last night in the United States, Limerick’s Paul O’Shea and Skara Glen’s Machu Picchu finished fifth in the 50th annual $213,300 American Gold Cup at Traverse City, Michigan, following their double clear round.

Kilkenny’s Richie Moloney finished eighth with Rocksy Music as victory went to America’s Kent Farrington with Gazelle.

GAA Club Action Round-Up – 13th September 2020

It was another exciting weekend of club hurling and football action. The club championships are rapidly approaching the business end. Here’s the club GAA round-up of the major results from around the country.

Click here for GAA live scores

Football

Goals win games and Maghery went goal crazy at the Athletic Grounds in Armagh. They claimed the Armagh title after a storming second-half comeback against defending champions Crossmaglen. Chris Crowley found the net just before the break. Aidan Forker and Oisin Lappin’s green flags were crucial in securing the crown.

Ballyboden St Enda’s will take on Ballymun Kickhams in the Dublin SFC final. The northside kingpins beat Kilmacud Crokes in a frantic finale at Parnell Park today. Despite having two men sent off and conceding a late goal, they advance to the decider. Champions Ballyboden St Enda’s edged an absorbing contest with a 2-11 to 1-11 win over near neighbors, and old adversaries  St Jude’s. The win heaped more misery on the Templeogue outfit. This was St Jude’s sixth defeat in a semi-final appearance in eight years.

In Kerry, Mid Kerry pipped Dr. Crokes by a point after an epic extra-time semi-final. Gavan O’Grady’s goal in the 80th minute propelled them to a date with another divisional side East Kerry. David Clifford was an interested spectator as his East Kerry had too many guns for St. Brendans.

The mercurial Paddy McBrearty scored 0-06 (4f) as Kilcar saw off Gaoth Dobhair 0-14 to 1-6 in the Donegal SFC semi-final.

Workaholics Loughmore-Castleiney advanced to the Tipperary football final. It will be twelve weeks on the spin for the parish as they take on Killadangan in the hurling equivalent next Sunday. Moyle Rovers were persistent challengers, but a strong third-quarter saw Loughmore home.

In Wexford, Shelmaliers’ are still standing after beating Glynn-Barntown at Chadwicks Wexford Park. Like Loughmore they are eying a double, as a result of this victory it will be Castletown up next in the final.

Montbellew Moylough eased into the last-four in Galway, beating Killannin by 11 points. They’ll next get a shot at Corofin, who eased through the gears as they dispatched Salthill Knockacarra. Tuam Stars, who lead last won the Galway crown in 1994, are also through to the semis. They beat Barna 0-17 to 0-16 after extra-time.

Podge Collins gripped a crucial goal to help goal Cratloe’s passage to the Clare final with a victory over St Breckan’s. Last year’s Clare SFC runners-up Kilmurry Ibrickane will get another shot at redemption. They are back in the final after they beat Lissycasey. In a tight tense encounter, they won by the minimum, 1-18 to 3-11, in Ennis.

Tyrellpass will take on St Loman’s in the Westmeath SFC final.

Hurling

Blackrock continued their impressive form in the Rebel County. They booked their spot in a Cork semi-final after accounting for Douglas at Páirc uí Chaoimh. Alan Connolly goalled for the ‘Rock’. Michael O’Halloran was a constant thorn in the Shandon Division’s side, hitting an impressive seven points from play. Pádraig Power hit 1-4 as UCC students got the better of Na Piarsaigh in the other quarter-final. Erin’s Own upset the odds when sending warm favorites Sarsfields packing in the other quarter-final.
Ballyhale survive a scare

Ballyhale will face 2017 champions Dicksboro in the final. Dicksboro were 2-16 to 0-14 win over O’Loughlin Gaels at Nowlan Park. It was far from plain sailing for the champions Ballyhale however they needed two late scores from Colin Fennelly and Eoin Cody to sneak over the line. James Stephens had held the lead until late in the fray. Dicksboro were somewhat flattered by the scoreboard at Nowlan Park. Shane Stapleton was on fire for Dicksboro scoring 1-10. The haul included two side-line cuts.

In Limerick, Na Piarsaigh hit 1-25 to dethrone Patricksell (0-17). They will face Doon in the showpiece. The’Well’ cause was not helped by having to play with 14 men for most of the hour.

O’Callaghan Mills stunned Tony Kelly’s Ballhea in Clare. A burst of 1-3 in added time, was enough o see them snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. They will face Sixmilebridge who held firm to dispatch a resolute Eire Óg Inis, who almost stole a famous victory.

Dunloy are rapidly becoming Antrim specialists. They won the title for the third time in four years, after a seven-point win over Loughgiel. Having only won their first title in1990 they have a haul of fourteen.

Elsewhere in the province, Slaughtneil are now eight-in-a-row Derry champions after a  massive win over a beleaguered  Kevin Lynch.’

Women’s National League – Week 7 Results and Reports

Bohemians picked up their first point during week 7 of the Women’s National League as Peamount United strengthened their title defence by securing a fifth win of the campaign.

Cork City 2-0 Athlone Town
The Rebels keep on rolling as they celebrated their third win of the season thanks to a gutsy display at Bishopstown Stadium.

Ronan Collins has long been preaching about his players moving the ball quickly in the final third and since doing that they are reaping the rewards with the goals flying in.

Lauren Egbuloniou, who is looking sharper with each game played, got them off the mark on 45 minutes before Saoirse Noonan blasted in a long-range strike just past the hour mark.

Athlone will be disappointed to concede the goals when they did but Tommy Hewitt’s young team showed tremendous fighting spirit and will be better for this experience.

DLR Waves 0-0 Bohemians
Goalkeeper Courtney Maguire was the hero of this contest as the Bohemians stopper pulled off three superb stops to help her club collect a first draw of the season.

DLR Waves have been unlucky in recent weeks and they have slipped down the League table as a result, so this was a game that they were hoping to take the three points from.

However, Graham Kelly’s team could not find the breakthrough even though Caroline Healy, Katie Burdis and Kerri Letmon tried their hardest to fire in.

At the other end, Eva Badana saved well to deny Bohs forward Bronagh Kane but this was very much a point gained for the visitors.

Peamount United 2-1 Galway WFC
Áine O’Gorman pulled level in the Golden Boot race with team-mate Eleanor Ryan-Doyle on seven goals for the season when she pulled the scores level.

Galway had taken an early lead, through Lynsey McKey, as they caught their hosts off-guard and attempted to set the groundwork to complete an upset. But O’Gorman levelled on 29 minutes.

Then Karen Duggan scored a brilliant goal that will surely be a contender for Goal of the Season. The former Republic of Ireland international rarely scores but this one was special.

Peamount take on Shelbourne next in the Dublin Derby that should prove to be pivotal in the title race as there is very little between the top two teams.

Treaty United 1-5 Wexford Youths
Wexford are showing early signs of being a serious title contender this season with this result – their fourth win – sending out a message of intent.

The attacking play honed by manager Tom Elmes can be difficult to contend with and that is exactly what happened for Treaty who fell behind on 27 minutes when Ellen Molloy got her fifth goal of the season.

Aisling Frawley added to their lead before the interval and then Lauren Kelly, Edel Kennedy and Blessing Kingsley got one apiece, with Jemma Slattery squeezing one back for the home team.

Wexford are playing some excellent stuff of late with captain Kylie Murphy pulling the strings in midfield like a seasoned puppeteer, while Molloy continues to wreak havoc on opposition defences.

South African George Coetzee wins 2020 Portugal Masters

George Coetzee won his fifth European Tour title – and his first on European soil – after holding off the chasing pack to win the 2020 Portugal Masters by two strokes.

The South African did not put a foot wrong on Sunday afternoon, posting a bogey-free round of 66 to triumph for the second week in a row, after winning at his home club, Pretoria Country Club, on the Sunshine Tour last week.

Coetzee began the final day with a one shot lead but was knocked off the top of the leaderboard early on in the round after parring his opening six holes in a patient start to his final round.

The 34-year-old ignited his round at Dom Pedro Victoria Golf Course with gains on the seventh, eighth and 11th, before holing birdie putts at the 16th and 17th holes to move to 16 under par and give himself a two shot advantage heading to the 18th tee.

“That was the next step for me really (winning on European soil). I have always had a list of things I wanted to achieve in my career as a golfer and originally I never thought I would get as far as winning on the European Tour, so ticking that box a while back was really nice. Then I started to realise that I was a bit comfortable playing back home and I needed to go to the next step and win away from home.

“Some of the events I target are the Qatar Masters and the Portugal Masters because I tend to play really well in those countries and the golf courses really suit me. I was very nervous playing this course and knowing that there are booby traps around the corner every now and then, so stepping on to 18 and hitting the best drive I hit all week, I was shocked! I told my caddie, I can’t believe I just did that, and my preparation mentally kind of paid off as well.”

Englishman Laurie Canter finished second on 14 under par after he also made five birdies in his round of 66, while his countryman and World Number 16 Tommy Fleetwood was another stroke back in a tie for third with Swede Joakim Lagergren.

Round Four Scores

268 G COETZEE (RSA) 66 70 66 66,
270 L CANTER (ENG) 64 72 68 66,
271 J LAGERGREN (SWE) 69 69 68 65, T FLEETWOOD (ENG) 68 71 68 64,
273 M KAWAMURA (JPN) 67 71 65 70,
274 N LEMKE (SWE) 70 69 65 70, S GARCIA RODRIGUEZ (ESP) 70 68 67 69,
275 J GUERRIER (FRA) 62 66 75 72, J CATLIN (USA) 72 69 65 69, S VINCENT (ZIM) 70 65 72 68, J SCRIVENER (AUS) 69 68 70 68, J VEERMAN (USA) 69 68 70 68, J CAMPILLO (ESP) 68 71 70 66,
276 L JOHNSTON (SCO) 61 74 70 71, B STONE (RSA) 67 70 70 69, W NIENABER (RSA) 70 65 73 68, G FORREST (SCO) 72 67 69 68, B EVANS (ENG) 69 71 68 68, W BESSELING (NED) 70 70 68 68, G FDEZ-CASTA?O (ESP) 71 69 68 68, M JORDAN (ENG) 66 69 74 67, R KARLBERG (SWE) 72 67 70 67, J SENIOR (ENG) 69 71 72 64,
277 D WHITNELL (ENG) 67 74 66 70, M SIMONSEN (DEN) 68 67 73 69, A BJORK (SWE) 70 70 68 69,
278 S KIM (USA) 67 66 72 73, L BJERREGAARD (DEN) 67 71 68 72, B STOW (ENG) 72 69 67 70, R BLAND (ENG) 67 70 73 68, S SODERBERG (SWE) 66 75 73 64,
279 P WARING (ENG) 67 69 71 72, A SADDIER (FRA) 67 68 73 71, R FOX (NZL) 67 69 75 68, A CA?IZARES (ESP) 70 71 70 68,
280 A MERONK (POL) 69 66 72 73, A ROZNER (FRA) 68 67 73 72, T GANDY (IMN) 69 68 72 71, T PULKKANEN (FIN) 70 70 70 70, T TREE (ENG) 73 67 70 70, R GOUVEIA (POR) 69 72 69 70, J SMITH (ENG) 73 67 71 69, G MIGLIOZZI (ITA) 67 71 74 68,
281 G PORTEOUS (ENG) 70 69 69 73, A QUIROS (ESP) 73 68 68 72, J DONALDSON (WAL) 69 67 74 71, S SHARMA (IND) 73 67 70 71, R ENOCH (WAL) 69 71 71 70, M SCHNEIDER (GER) 69 72 71 69,
282 M ARMITAGE (ENG) 68 67 73 74, B EASTON (RSA) 68 72 68 74, F LAPORTA (ITA) 67 70 72 73, N BERTASIO (ITA) 67 69 74 72, J SURI (USA) 69 71 71 71, A ROMERO (ARG) 71 70 70 71, J CALDWELL (NIR) 65 72 75 70, R SANTOS (POR) 69 71 72 70,
283 M SCHMITT (GER) 70 71 68 74, T OLESEN (DEN) 66 71 73 73, D LAW (SCO) 69 71 70 73, L VAN MEIJEL (NED) 71 70 71 71, S GALLACHER (SCO) 76 65 71 71, P LARRAZABAL (ESP) 69 71 73 70,
285 S BROWN (ENG) 68 70 74 73, T BESSA (POR) 68 70 75 72, M SOUTHGATE (ENG) 69 72 74 70,
286 D COUPLAND (ENG) 72 68 71 75, C PIGEM (ESP) 72 69 75 70,
287 E CUARTERO BLANCO (ESP) 70 71 71 75,
292 D DRYSDALE (SCO) 70 68 77 77,

Magical beats Ghaiyyath in Longines Irish Champion Stakes

Magical (9/2) beat the world’s number one-ranked horse Gaiyyath to claim back-to-back wins in the Group 1 Longines Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown on Saturday.

The Séamie Heffernan-ridden mare achieved her seventh Group 1 success in the process as the daughter of Galileo defeated the 8/13 favourite in the 10-furlong contest.

Ghaiyyath, who took up his customary front running role under William Buick, found the Ballydoyle mare close by throughout as the son of Dubawi never held a strong advantage over the Aidan O’Brien-trained five-year-old.

Heading into the straight, the Godolphin favourite led from Magical on his outside and her stable companion, Japan and Ryan Moore, on his inside. The mare took the lead with a furlong to run, but try as he did to get Ghaiyyath to pass her, William Buick and the Charlie Appleyby-trained runner had to settle for second as Magical ran out a three-quarters-of-a-length winner. The result overturned the pair’s most recent meeting when Ghaiyyath got the better of the Coolmore partners-owned mare in the Group 1 Juddmonte International at York.

Magical and Séamie Heffernan return after another Group 1 success for the 5-year-old mare. Credit: Horse Racing Ireland (HRI).

Japan, who had briefly challenged with intent early in the home straight faded disappointingly again as another O’Brien runner, Armory (66/1), ran on well to finish a further one-and-a-quarter lengths behind Ghaiyyth in third.

Aidan O’Brien greeted his 9th winner of the Irish Champion Stakes by explaining:

“We were going to go with him today and sit 3/4 [of a length] off him for a solid even match. She eyeballed him all the way and when you do that, there’s always a chance that the ones coming from behind will get you but we took a chance and let him and her match up all the way. There are no excuses here at this track and she’s incredibly tough and genuine with speed and determination – she has everything and Séamie gave her a brilliant ride.”

Winning rider, Séamie Heffernan, who also guided the mare to success in the Group 1 Pretty Polly Stakes at The Curragh earlier this season, said of the race:

“I felt that the favourite knew we were there at the start and we were with him every step of the way today – he knew we meant business.”

Heffernan, winning his third Longines Irish Champion Stakes after the victories of Cape Blanco and So You Think, was full of praise for his willing partner Magical, stating:

“Some horses can disappoint you when they seem like champions in the morning, but she has probably never given everything and still won seven Group 1s. She’s very sound and up for it every day. She’s a big and honest mare and to win a third one is massive for me – I work for a great team.”

Magical wins back-to-back Longines Irish Champion Stakes. Credit: Horse Racing Ireland (HRI).

Aidan O’Brien wasn’t willing to commit his star mare for the Group 1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, suggesting the Group 1 Prix de l’Opera at the same track was also an option:

“Magical has the choice of the Arc or the fillies’ race [the Group 1 Prix de l’Opera] on the same day. It will depend on what the lads want to do with Love. The Breeders’ Cup could also suit her really well. We think she gets a mile and a quarter real strong and at a mile and a half you probably have to ride more of a race on her.”

Magical, who was winning the 10th race of her 13 starts in Ireland, was due to be retired last season after wins in the Group 1 Longines Irish Champions Stakes, the Group 1 Champion Stakes at Ascot and the Group 1 Tattersalls Gold Cup (which she also won this year). She was to be covered by Coolmore stallion No Nay Never, but a change of mind by the owners meant she is still racing this season.

Corofin cruise to semi-final spot

Corofin 1-18 v Salthill 0-09

Corofin cruised past the challenge of Salthill-Knocknacarra to book their spot in the last four of the Claregalway Hotel Galway Senior Football championship.

Despite playing into the wind at Pearse stadium in the first half, they held a slender 0-06 v 0-05 lead at interval. An early Robert Finnerty free had got the hosts off to a good start. However, Salthill were wasteful with the wind at their backs as a tally of five first half wides drained their confidence somewhat. Corofin were far more economical with their chances. Their patient probing passing suited playing into the wind.

A brace of points from both Jason Leonard and Gary Sice, along with points from Kieran Molloy and Conor Cunningham kept the scoreboard ticking over during the opening half. Salthill were overly reliant on the accuracy of Robert Finnerty from placed balls. Three frees and a mark from the son of their manager Anthony Finnerty were Salthill’s only scores during the first half until Tomo Culhane added a point from play in first-half stoppage time.

Half-Time: Corofin 0-6 Salthill 0-5

Kevin O’Brien’s side upped the intensity after the break and began to pull away from the Seasiders.

On the restart Corofin extended their lead with a point from play and a Gary Sice free. Further scores from Liam & Darragh Silke (2) and Michael Lundy, as well as a fine effort from Jason Leonard were only interrupted by a solitary Robert Finnerty free in reply. A goal from substitute Dathai Burke ten minutes from time sealed the win. The Dual player squeezed the ball past Ruairi Lavelle in the Salthill net after a beautiful reverse pass from Gary Sice. Further late points from Gary Sice and Ciaran McGrath added to the final tally of 1-18 to 0-9.

Full time: Corofin 1-18 Salthill Knocknacarra 0-09

Daithi Burke slots past Ruairi Lavelle.
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