Oliver hopes Clown has last laugh

I'll Be Your Clown bids to claim a second valuable prize in July in the feature Guinness Handicap on day five of the Galway Festival.

The Andrew Oliver-trained four-year-old opened his account for the campaign at Sligo in the middle of June before running well in defeat on Irish Derby day at the Curragh.

He then enjoyed the biggest day of his career so far when edging ahead in a thrilling "Nasrullah" Handicap at Navan three weeks ago.

"He came out of his last race well and having won at Sligo twice, the unique track in Galway shouldn't hold any fears for him," said the County Tyrone-based trainer.

"The negative is the outside berth, but we'll just have to deal with that on the day.

"He's a good, consistent horse who always turns up and runs his race.

"It wasn't a big field at Navan last time, but it was a competitive race and he was a deserved winner.

"Ground doesn't really seem to affect him. He's won on all sorts and seems fairly versatile."

I'll Be Your Clown is one of 15 horses in contention for a race run over just shy of a mile and a half, with Royal Ascot hero Clondaw Warrior taking top billing.

Having missed the cut for the Galway Hurdle, the Ascot Stakes winner is dropped in distance by Willie Mullins, with the champion trainer having booked top apprentice Jack Kennedy for the ride.

The weights are headed by Fog Of War from Ger Lyons' stable, while recent Leopardstown winner Cailini Alainn is a major player for John Oxx.