Handicappers' reactions to Galway The Flat handicappers have made a number of substantial adjustments to the ratings of horses following last week's action at Galway with four horses rising by more than a stone. The biggest mover is unsurprisingly the Joseph O'Brien trained Motherland which turned the Eventus Handicap into a rout on Monday evening when scoring by 17 lengths. The 3-y-o has jumped 20lbs for that success to a rating of 107. Intrepid Prince which landed a gamble of Friday night has moved up 17lbs but not before going in again off a mandatory 5lbs penalty at Naas yesterday. Tithonus will attempt to pull off a similar feat at Cork this evening. Denis Hogan's Saturday scorer at Galway runs with a 5lbs penalty in this evening's contest but will have to carry a further 5lbs in future races. Tarazani and Water Sprite each rise 15lbs following their exploits at Ballybrit. Other major movers are Spruce Meadows up 11, Creggs Pipes up 10, Firey Speech up10 and Swamp Fox up 9. The National Hunt handicappers made smaller adjustments to their figures following the Festival with the biggest movers being Devils Bride and Champagne Harmony both up 9lbs. Interestingly Champagne Harmony didn't win at Galway but finished second to Bel Sas in a Novices Hurdle on Thursday. Plate winner Lord Scoundrel moves up 8lbs to a mark of 153 while Galway Hurdle victor Clondaw Warrior goes up 7lbs to 150. Devils Brides' new figure of 159 (4th in Plate and wide margin winner on Sunday) means he ends the week one pound worse off with Lord Scoundrel despite finishing three lengths behind him in Wednesday's feature race. Other significant National Hunt movers are On Fiddler's Green up 8, Our Kylie up 8, Plain Talking up 8, Shake the Bucket up 8, Heartbreak City up 7 and Alelchi Inois up 7.
