Tiger Roll is unlikely to carry top-weight if he returns to action in The Tote Galway Plate on Wednesday.
The Aintree Grand National and Cheltenham Festival legend is one of nine entries made by trainer Denise Foster for the annual summer highlight at the Galway Festival. The weights revealed have him on 11st 7lbs. There are three horses above the Gigginstown House Stud-owned star in the early handicap.
Stable companion Samcro tops the weights on 11st 10lbs with the Willie Mullins-trained Easy Game next in on 11st 9lbs. Another of the Cullentra team, Battleoverdoyen, also owned by Gigginstown House Stud, is on 11st 8lbs.
Denise Foster has entered her recent Kilbeggan Midlands National winner The Big Lense for owner JP McManus and The Very Man, a winner over hurdles at last year’s festival.
12 Plate entries for Mullins
Champion trainer Willie Mullins has made 12 entries as he bids to win the race for the first time in 10 years. Along with Easy Game, last year’s narrow Plate runner-up Royal Rendezvous is in his team. They are joined by Sapphire Lady, the novice Fan Des Blues, and Livelovelaugh, sixth in the race last year.
Joseph O’Brien won the 2020 Tote Galway Plate with Early Doors. His seven 2021 entries include Darasso, Top Moon and Embittered. Cavalry Master features in a Henry de Bromhead-entry of seven that also contains Somptueux and Visioman.
Edward O’Grady’s The West’s Awake which narrowly got the better of Visioman to land the Galway Races Galway Plate Trial Handicap Chase at Kilbeggan last month is entered
Emmet Mullins’ The Shunter, the Cathal Byrnes-trained Off You Go, the Noel Meade-trained Snow Falcon, Gearoid O’Loughlin’s Ben Dundee and Shady Operator are also entered.
Galway Hurdle
Last year’s Guinness Galway Hurdle-winning trainer Willie Mullins has made 11 entries for the latest renewal. His strong team is headed by the dual Grade 1 scorer Saldier. His 2020 Triumph Hurdle winner Burning Victory and Ciel De Neige are also towards the head of the weights. Foveros, twice a winner at Galway, and Jazzaway are other eye-catching entries for the champion trainer.
Petit Mouchoir, another two-time Grade 1 winner and third in the race a year ago, is the early joint top-weight on 11st 10lbs with Saldier. He is one of five entries for Denise Foster. The Cullentra trainer can also call upon the unbeaten juvenile Duffle Coat, Call Me Lyreen, Eclair De Beaufeu and Magic Tricks.
The Michael Hogan-owned Sole Pretender (11st 5lbs) which finished fifth in the race behind Tudor City two years ago is among the race entries. Norman Lee’s charge is in the best of form having won the Grade 3 Grimes Hurdle at Tipperary recently.
He beat the Joseph O’Brien-trained Darasso to win that afternoon. The latter is one of five the Piltown trainer has in the Guinness Galway Hurdle. Peter Fahey has his Cheltenham Festival winner and Aintree Grade 1 hero Belfast Banter (10st 13lbs) entered. Hearts Are Trumps, sixth in the race in 2019 and second last year, is there again for Des McDonogh.
The 2019 winner Tudor City would be running at the Galway Festival for the seventh consecutive year if taking his chance for trainer Tony Martin. Emmet Mullins has both Zero Ten and Cape Gentleman in the race while Henry de Bromhead has made a single entry, Annexation.
There are three British-trained entries in the Guinness Galway Hurdle. Copperless, the runaway winner of the Swinton Handicap Hurdle at Haydock in May, could take his chance for Olly Murphy while Neil Mulholland has put in his Scottish Champion Hurdle winner Milkwood. Brian Ellison has five Galway festival winners to his name and has entered Mrs Hyde, a four-time winner over hurdles.
