2026 Galway & Goodwood Thursday Preview

I can only laugh at this stage. Another blank day on Wednesday, but to be fair we did at least get half decent run for our money with Zavateri, who might have placed with a clearer run. Sea And Sun will win soon, possibly when upped in trip. Havana Pusey wasn’t good enough, Cornmarket’s run baffled me, especially as he was seemingly well backed (25s into 9s), and Buddy One didn’t jump anywhere well enough, albeit he wasn’t ‘that’ far off placing.It would be easy for me to just naff the blog off after what has happened in the last few weeks but I’m not giving up hope just yet. Hopefully, when we emerge from this tunnel of shit, like Andy Dufresene in the Shawshank Redemption, it’ll be worth the wait. Also. I’d like to thank those that are somehow still reading my previews and haven't given me any abuse, please god your loyalty will be rewarded. 1.50 Goodwood – Kincsem Handicap (Heritage) The 1m course winner and last time out Ascot scorer Ciarrai Abu will rightly be popular in this 1m2f handicap. However, I will take a punt on the horse that finished a 4.75l fourth behind him at Ascot last time, the Peter Chapple-Hyam trained Loz Vegas. This fella has been far from disgraced in three handicap runs this term. After keeping on for a midfield finish on his return at Newbury over 1m, he finished fast for a 1.5l fifth of 13 at Newbury off 88. He gave me the impression in that race that he was the sort of horse that might enjoy weaving his way through traffic and at Goodwood, he’ll almost certainly have to do that. Ciarrai Abu did beat him well at Ascot but he’s 8lb better off now and while his sire’s best form was at 6f-1m, there is enough stamina on the dam side of his pedigree to suggest he should stay 1m2f. At odds of 22/1, Loz Vegas is the e/w selection. 2026 Galway & Goodwood Thursday Tip: Loz Vegas e/w @ 22/1 (4 places) 4.10 Goodwood – Buccellati Handicap (Class 3) I would have been all over River Spey here if this race was over 6f but I’m not too sure this sort of test will suit him. In the end, I decided to side with the Gemma Tutty trained filly, Call Margot. This daughter of Blue Point ran a poor race on her latest start at Hamilton, but that was on good to soft ground. The run may have come too soon after a superb effort at Epsom on her previous start 12 days earlier in the Epsom 3yo Dash. Tutty has freshened this filly up with a nice 43-day break and on that Epsom run, when she was waiting for room for over a furlong before squeezing through and just failing to reel in the winner Naana’s Shadow, she has to have a huge chance here. And also, with Ashley Lewis’ claim, she is effectively 1lb lower here. At odds of 22/1, Call Margot will do for me. 2026 Galway & Goodwood Thursday Tip: Call Margot e/w @ 22/1 (5 places) NAP 2.10 Galway – Nursery Handicap (80 = 9st 12lb)Mick Mulvany sent out juveniles to finish third in this race in 2024 and 2023 and his handicap debutant Banks Of The Boyne might run a nice race for him here. By Space Traveller, this gelding looked of little account on his first two runs in maidens at Fairyhouse and Roscommon.However, he produced a much better effort back at Fairyhouse three weeks ago, making a bold bid and keeping on well over 6f for a 0.5l second at odds of 100/1. The winner of that race, Nail House, wasn’t beaten far in a Leopardstown G3 on his next start and the fourth, La Tache, went on to win a Curragh maiden and is now rated 88. The fifth, City Of Gold, ran well to finish second in a maiden here earlier this week too, so the form has substance. Now, the assessor hasn’t taken any chances with this gelding’s mark, pitching him in at 81. That being said, given how the form of that last run has worked out, he may still have some wriggle room and there’s a bit of stamina on the dam side of his page so there’s every chance he could do even better over 7f. I’m sure connections would prefer to be coming here with a 10lb or 15lb lower mark but even off 81, Banks Of The Boyne can hopefully sneak into the money at odds of 12/1. 2026 Galway & Goodwood Thursday Tip: Banks Of The Boyne e/w @ 12/1 4.30 Galway – Guinness Galway Hurdle (Grade 3 Handicap) Thisistheway is a mare that relishes nice ground and I am hoping she can build on an excellent effort in a valuable handicap hurdle at Bellewstown 26 days ago. Trained by Yvonne Latta, this horse has won three of her ten starts over hurdles and all three of her wins have come on right-handed tracks. Her biggest day in the sun came at the 2025 Punchestown Festival when she won a 44k auction series final race over 2m3f on yielding. This season, she’s been third in a Listed hurdle at Limerick over a trip that stretched her and she then ran a massive race in a premier handicap at Leopardstown’s Xmas meeting, beaten 3.5l into second over 20.5f (gd-yld). In May, she was making headway when falling three out in a listed handicap hurdle at Punchestown (20.5f, yielding) and then last time, she ran a really pleasing race after a two-month break at Bellewstown. I think she could be very well suited by a strongly run race on a track like Galway and she’ll surely be trying her very best for her small yard. With Michael Kennelly’s claims she’s effectively 4lb lower than when third at Bellewstown last time, her career form figures going right-handed over hurdles read 1113F, so at odds of 40/1 Thisistheway is the each way selection. 2026 Galway & Goodwood Thursday Tip: Thisistheway e/w @ 40/1 (6 places) -DaveStevos