David O’Meara’s Summerghand looks value off a nice mark in Stewards’ Cup

Willie Mullins’ La Prima Donna is the early favourite for today's BoyleSports Grade B Handicap Hurdle (2.30), and the mare looks very promising back in handicap company here having won a maiden hurdle at Tipperary in May in good style. Photo: Sportsfile

Wayne Bailey

July 30 2022 02:30 AM

Many years ago, Ted Wash said that: “If you are thinking of going to Galway, what you should first do is take a fiver out of your pocket, throw it in the fire and watch it burn. And if you can stand the pain, off to the races with you.”

Seven days of betting, and for some, drinking, can take its toll on the wallet and the body – but if you’ve had a rough time of it, there’s still the opportunity to get out of jail, or indeed dig yourself into a deeper hole, on the penultimate day where 20 runners go to post for the feature BoyleSports Grade B Handicap Hurdle (2.30).

It’s no surprise to see Willie Mullins’ (inset) La Prima Donna chalked up as the early favourite with Paul Townend on board, and the mare looks very promising back in handicap company here having won a maiden hurdle at Tipperary in May in good style.

She’s racing off 129, from which she was fifth of 25 in a handicap at Punchestown in April, and with more improvement expected, it could be a lenient mark. The only negative thing I can say about her is the odds of 11/2 are a little short in a big, competitive field like this where anything can happen, so I can’t bring myself to back her at that price.

Instead, there might be a bit more value in taking Harry Fry’s raider Boothill each-way under Seán Bowen, which was available at 10/1 in the early markets yesterday. Runner-up in a couple of point-to-points in Ireland before heading to Britain, he got his career under rules off to the best possible start with a victory in a Kempton bumper, and followed up with a novice hurdle win at Taunton in 2020.

He’s been lightly raced since and appeared four times without winning, so remains somewhat unexposed, and his second place of 11 off a rating of 132 at Uttoxeter in March over 2m3f caught the eye as he was running on at the finish. He made a couple of mistakes which may have cost him, but with a bit of luck in-running today over a longer trip and a mark of 134, the seven-year-old will be thereabouts.

For another each-way bet today, I’m looking across the water to Goodwood where Summerghand catches the eye around 12/1 for David O’Meara under Jason Watson in the Coral Stewards’ Cup Heritage Handicap (3.20).

The now eight-year-old won this race in 2020 when rated 108, and he’s been kept busy since, racing 24 times which included Group Three and Listed wins. Before his win in 2020, he was a neck-second in the Wokingham at Ascot, and he’s taken that route again, finishing fifth in that race this year. He’ll race today off a mark of 100 which seems more than fair to me all considered, and I’m surprised to see him priced in double figures.

Mr Wagyu will be warm in the betting and trades at 15/2 at the time of writing. John Quinn’s gelding battled nicely to win a Curragh handicap a couple of weeks ago, and has strong claims as he continues to improve.

On the same card, Sea La Rosa is strongly fancied under Tom Marquand in the Fillies’ And Mares’ Group Two Qatar Lillie Langtry Stakes (2.45), priced around 6/4. Trained by William Haggas, the daughter of Sea The Stars had a great season last term, winning numerous handicaps and a Listed race, and she picked up where she left off on her seasonal debut with victory in the Pinnacle Stakes at Haydock.

She hit 1/3 in-running before finishing second to Free Wind in the Lancashire Oaks last time, and looks like she’ll appreciate the step up to 1m6f. Her main rival is Aidan O’Brien’s Emily Dickinson, which takes a step back down in class having finished fourth in the Irish Oaks.

Another one I like at Goodwood is Cemhaan, which I’m hoping to back around 15/2 or higher if I can get it for the Coral Summer Handicap (2.10). His jockey Hollie Doyle is flying at the moment and made history by winning the Group One Nassau Stakes aboard Nashwa this week, and five-year-old Cemhaan continued to improve on his first couple of races this season, winning two handicaps.

Trained by George Baker, he went off at 10/1 when rated the same as today’s 92 in the Duke of Edinburgh Stakes at Royal Ascot last time, but he met trouble in running and should have finished closer than seventh of the 18 runners.

The market will be interesting here, and the John and Thady Gosden-trained Trawlerman is sure to be popular with the punters too, with Benoit de la Sayette claiming 5lbs. He’s won two of his seven races for connections and finished 11th in the aforementioned Duke Of Edinburgh Stakes, but he also had problems and left the stalls late which dampened his chances, and later met more trouble when hampered in the Bet365 Trophy at Newmarket.

In other words, the form from those two races can be overlooked today.