2023 Galway Races Wednesday Tips – DS
2023 Galway Races Wednesday Preview
We landed a nice place at 20/1 with our NAP Calico on Tuesday. That was it but to be fair, two of our bets were a shade unlucky. Both Longseoir and Coviglia were denied clear runs and they were only beaten 3.25L and 5.5L in their respective races. Hopefully we can get a winner on the board on Day 3, Dave Stevos’ 2023 Galway Races Wednesday tips are below.
6.10 – Tote Today Handicap (50-80)
With just six running in the opener I’ve left the race alone but I have had a little bet on Duke Of Leggagh. The first race we’ll look at in today’s preview is this 16.5f flat handicap. With twenty due to go to post there’ll be lots of hard luck stories coming round that final bend but hopefully, lady luck smiles on us today, unlike yesterday.
Off a mark of 73, if Takarengo is on a going day he has the talent to win this. Long time followers might remember me putting him up for the Cesarewitch in October 2020 (18f sft) and he ran a huge race to finish third at Newmarket off 81.
Frustrating
Since then he has been a frustrating horse to follow. He has managed to win two races, a maiden hurdle at Cork (20f yld) and a flat handicap at Clonmel off 84 (16f gd). The son of Battle Of Marengo has decent form around Galway. He’s never placed here but he was only 5l behind Princess Zoe over this C&D on soft ground off 83 and he was conceding 3lbs to the future G1 winner.
Conor Stone Walsh is an up and coming jockey who is well worth his 7lbs claim. Takarengo will be effectively racing off just 66 and though he is drawn 14, he’ll likely be dropped out and ridden for luck so that isn’t too big a negative. At odds of 22/1, Takarengo is the e/w selection.
2023 Galway Races Wednesday Tips: Takarengo e/w @ 22/1 (5 places) NB
6.40 – Tote Galway Plate Handicap Chase (Grade 3)
We have already backed Born By The Sea for the feature race of the week at Galway. It looks like the ground is going to be absolutely perfect for him and though I’d have preferred to see Danny Gilligan on board taking off 7lbs, Philip Enright did get a great tune out of him at Aintree.
Hopefully he makes plenty of use of his mount because last year, he got outpaced under Jack Gilligan before flying home for 5th in the Blazers. I’ve had a little bit more on at 33s for 6 places, you can read about why I fancy Born By The Sea via this link.
2023 Galway Races Wednesday Tips: Born By The Sea e/w @ 33/1 (6 places) NAP
7.15 – Mares Handicap Hurdle (0-135)
One that might be a touch overpriced in this mares’ handicap hurdle is Bynx. Trained by Martin Hassett, this daughter of Vadamaos finally broke her maiden at Tramore (21f gd) last month. She had run some fine races in defeat previous to that win and it looks like Hassett may well have targeted this race.
He gave his mare a nice 6 week break after her Tramore win. She pitched up in a handicap at Cork last time out (20f yld) and I’d imagine that would have straightened her out ahead of a tilt at this prize. Bynx has run well at Galway before, returning form figures of 566 on her last three visits. Two of those decent runs came in flat handicaps at 12f, but she also ran respectably here in a maiden hurdle last September.
The booking of Brian Hayes is eye-catching. He has ridden her twice before, winning at Tramore and finishing a close 2nd at Gowran off 106 in February. Bynx is just 2lbs higher now than she was that day so she is not handicapped out of this. A strongly run race over this trip should suit her so at 33/1, Bynx is the e/w selection.
2023 Galway Races Wednesday Tips: Bynx e/w @ 33/1 (5 places)
8.20 – Tote Handicap Hurdle (0-123)
One that looks potentially overpriced here at 33/1 is Hartur D’Arc. Trained by Tom Gibney, this son of Diamond Boy took a while to get off the mark over timber. He was competing in some tough maidens last Winter but he finally got his head in front at Wexford at the end of May. That came on good but he handles an ease so there are no ground concerns for this lad.
He gets in off a mark of just 117 here and that could be lenient. At Navan in November Hartur D’Arc was a neck behind the now 119 rated Kilbree Warrior, to whom he was conceding 12lbs. He was a neck behind Spirit Of Legend off level weights, and he is rated 128.
A former P2P winner, he should be effective over this sort of trip and though he ran poorly on his first try in handicap company at Tipp earlier this month, he ought to improve for that experience. If he can repeat the form of his Navan third, Hartur D’Arc can outrun his odds of 33/1.
