Search
Cheltenham 2024
- Main Site
- Cheltenham Home
- Cheltenham Cards
- Cheltenham Results
- Cheltenham Offers
- Cheltenham Odds
- Cheltenham Tips
- Cheltenham News
- Prestbury Cup
- Cheltenham Videos
-
Cheltenham Statistics
- Leading Trainer
- Leading Jockeys
- Leading Owners
- Previous Years
- Previous Appearances
- Breeding Profile of Winners
- Lady Jockeys at The Festival
- Leading Jockey Award Winners
- Most Successful Jockeys of All Time
- Current Jockeys Competing at Cheltenham
- Most Successful Jockey In..
- Leading Trainer Award Winners
- Most Successfull Trainer All Time
- Current Trainers Competing at Cheltenham
- Most Successful Trainer In..
- Cheltenham Trainer/Runner Index
- Desktop Site
Cheltenham 2024
- Home
- News
Michael Graham
Galway day two preview
Shield
© Photo Healy Racing
Shield has to give away weight to all six rivals in the Topaz Novice Hurdle at the Galway Festival today.
He will be a short price to do so, though, after his striking victory at Killarney on July 17, and Robbie Power is back on board for the Aidan O'Brien team.
Dermot Weld has claimed the Topaz EBF Fillies Maiden five times since 2006, with O'Brien the only other trainer to have won the race in that period.
Weld runs unraced grey filly Chinese Light while O'Brien is triple-handed with Ask Me Nicely Cocoon and Together Forever Joseph O'Brien is on the latter. Hidden Universe is another expected to go well for the Weld juggernaut in the Caulfieldindustrial.com Handicap over two miles. He has 18 rivals to overcome, though, including Tony Martin's Cassells Rock who steps up in trip and has to be watched in the betting market. Footprint and Knights Templar fought out the spoils in the seven-furlong Caulfield Industrial Athlone Handicap last year, and both are back to do battle again. Sretaw and Oor Jock have been running consistently well and will have their supporters too.
Ado McGuinness said of Oor Jock: "If you watch his run at the Curragh he was unlucky and he was just chinned in Leopardstown so he should be coming in here with four wins.
"He used to be rated a lot higher than 76. The question is whether he will climb the hill, but nothing ventured nothing gained."
The concluding seven-furlong maiden looks to be between Antique Platinum Rightway and Henson
The Weld-trained Antique Platinum was fourth on debut in Naas and a visor is fitted for the first time.
Rightway and Henson have plenty of placed form in the book to give credence to their chances.