Leopardstown and Galway 2019
You can’t have too much of a good thing….
I was
asked the other day how many times I’ve been to Galway, my favourite Irish
city. Eleven occasions, I think. Eight times to the summer festival: 2014-2019
inclusive plus 1995 and 2010. October
racing in 2011 plus Arts Festival visits in 2003 and 2007 when racing at
Ballinrobe.
As
for Leopardstown, visits are more frequent than that including 2014-2019 inclusive
as part of this double.
I had considered flying to Shannon on the Friday
and missing Leopardstown. With airport strikes threatened (later postponed)
this looked to be a good decision. In the end it didn’t matter. BA from
Heathrow to Dublin is a good option, other than the hassle of getting to
Terminal Five.
Leopardstown
25 July: admission charge 23 euro (10 euro seniors)
A one-night stay with a top floor room - at the
Harding Hotel - reserved during my last visit! Out on the Luas Line to reach
the track in time for the second race. I was not particularly inspired by the
card and decided to concentrate on the one-mile handicap. Before that I backed
JOB’s runner in the Fillies’ Group Three and was disappointed to see it finish runner-up to AOB’s second string Love.
Leopardstown: Kevin Blake with JOB
As for the handicap race, I made a very strong case
for the top weight Kafu and had a decent bet at 6/1. It was 5th a furlong out but ran on strongly to
get within a nose of the favourite. I was standing right on the line and knew it
didn’t get up which made my glance at Betfair - to see he was 14.0 to win the
photo - rather unnecessary.
As the winner was announced I walked quickly out of
the track with the cheers of favourite backers ringing in my ears. Back into
town for a couple of these:
Guinness at Neary’s, Chatham Street
Next day I was ready for the rail journey to
Galway. On the way I spotted this poster at Heuston station, a sad summary of
modern life. Phone watching:
Staring at your phone anywhere nice this weekend?
The races didn’t commence until Monday so after
checking in at the Connacht Hotel it was off to see “Citysong” a play by Dylan
Coburn Gray. A cast of six actors playing a multitude of parts. A superb
production and part of the Galway Arts Festival of course. There were other
events of interest to attend before the festival closed on Sunday. Meanwhile it
was dinner on Friday night at Il Vicolo, one of Galway’s finest Italian
restaurants. It didn’t disappoint. Here’s the view from our table:
Il Vicolo: the view was as good as the food!
As for Saturday night’s dinner we chose Oscar’s Seafood
Bistro in West Galway. Prior to that we were at Beirhaus across the road which
boasts a huge choice of craft beers including the excellent Oyster Stout by Porterhouse.
Oscar’s was a revelation. That day’s catch
presented on a small blackboard brought to the table. Our server, Shavaun, was
very knowledgeable both about the food choices and the wines on offer. All
three of us went for the hake, which was delicious.
My starter at Oscar’s: potted brown crab
West Galway, a lively part of the city
Galway races
29/30 July: admission charge 25 euro (15 euro seniors)
Entry costs are reasonable so no need to avoid them!
Galway races started as a two-day event in August 1869 so here
we were on the first day of the 150th anniversary.
The Galway
Tenors gave a rousing rendition of “Ireland’s Call” to open proceedings. Crowd
reaction was not dissimilar to the Cheltenham roar.
The Galway Tenors in fine voice
As in previous years, our main betting focus would
be the 7f handicaps, one on each of the two days we were attending. On the
betting front I’d stopped playing the tote win pool. The main issue is the slow
updating of tote odds. It was no longer possible to back something with any
certainty at anticipated greater odds than the ring. Hand-held Betfair prices
(on a smartphone) was a far better alternative and, of course, you would
guarantee your price. Tote is still useful for the occasional exotic though:
jackpot, trifecta, exacta etc.
Today’s race was the 19:05. With the horse drawn
two a non-runner it was a 15-runner race. Amongst the low numbers JOB’s Syrena,
drawn three was strongly fancied and was my main bet. I also backed Improving
(1) and Galtee Mist (4) combining all three in forecasts. Galtee Mist broke
well and made all, just holding off the late challenge of Syrena. Improving was
fourth. Terrific “draw” result. Galtee Mist’s SP was a decent 20/1 although I
was on at an aggregate price of 27.6 on Betfair. More importantly the straight
forecast paid 149 for the six-unit outlay. Annoyingly, the tote exacta paid 204
euro, which I’d missed. What a time to ignore the tote options! Still a major
win.
Galtee Mist on his toes prior to Monday’s 7f handicap
Very small
bets on the rest of the card and only one other winner for
me, Russian Diamond
in the bumper.
Dock 2?
We were surprised to learn that one of our
favourite bars/restaurants Dock 1 had unexpectedly closed earlier this year.
However, something new had risen from the ashes: Ruibin (https://www.ruibin.ie/ ). Food only served in
the bar currently, upstairs restaurant to follow soon. It’s a good place for a
late snack (service until 10pm) after evening racing.
Selection of tasty craft beers too. Great
draft IPA from Sligo. Monkfish dish was very good (so good I had it twice!). If
you’re very hungry have a portion of the parmesan potatoes with it. At
lunchtime the salmon and asparagus salad is great value for 12 euro.
Incidentally, just opposite Ruibin was the
boat owned by the Pianocean singer.
Making waves: Pianist/singer visiting Galway docks
During the Arts Festival she played twice a
day and then extended this to the following week. An interesting concept and a
relaxing listen.
On day two of the races, we again concentrated
on the 7f handicap which was the last race of the day.
Before that we managed
to go through the card without backing a winner. As with Monday, stakes were kept low.
The entertainment was
excellent reducing the need to bet on every race!
The 16-runner denouement proved unsatisfactory
as the nearest we got was sixth place with the main bet – Tintoretto – which led
briefly and then got into trouble.
The end of another brilliant holiday and what betting
conclusions can be drawn? Being selective and patient pays off. A total of 21
races on offer (Leopardstown/Galway) but only three of these attracted serious
bets. Returns on Monday’s 7f contest ensured that an overall betting profit was
made. Happy days.
What’s next? In 2020 Galway is European City of
Culture so a visit next year seems an even more attractive proposition.
The full programme of events will be published in September.
August 2019
