The 2024 running of the Galway Plate sees Ireland’s top jumps yards mob-handed in their pursuit of the feature race of the week-long Galway Festival. Henry De Bromhead fields four runners, while Gordon Elliott and champion trainer Willie Mullins saddle six apiece.
That trio of powerhouse operations have sent out seven of the last nine winners of the race between them and one of them in particular looks to have a great chance of landing the prize again.
Galway Plate 2024 tips
Best Bet: Let’s Go Champ to win @ 17/2
Each-way: Toss Again to win (each-way) @ 16/1
Each-way terms: ¼ odds, four places.
Bet on the latest horse racing odds at Betzone
Punchestown form-lines highlight the chances of De Bromhead runner
Henry De Bromhead fields four in his pursuit of a third Galway Plate and stable jockey Rachel Blackmore has the clear form pick for herself in the shape LET’S GO CHAMP.
Punchestown has proven an ideal course for a Plate warm up, with six of the last 20 winners having their previous outing there and the nine-year-old’s win there on May 1 has worked out pleasingly.
Must Be Obeyed – the second – was third in a Grade 2 mares’ event next time, while fifth-placed Brideswell Lad won a €29,500 handicap chase on his following start.
Blackmore’s mount has yet to finish outside the first three in four career outings over fences and his one-and-a-quarter length third when giving 4lbs to Hgranca De Thaix at Limerick the time before that Punchestown run puts him right there with likely favourite Percival Legallois.
Gavin Cromwell’s JP-McManus-owned 5/1 market leader finished four lengths behind the same opponent in another Punchestown contest on May 3, when giving away 6lbs to the winner.
Let’s Go Champ is entitled to improve from his May Day victory and looks close enough to the favourite on form for him to be at bit of value at four points longer odds.
Tip: Let’s Go Champ to win @ 17/2
Conditions correct for course and distance scorer to bounce back to form
Let’s Go Champ’s fellow De Bromhead inmate TOSS AGAIN looks the type to outrun his odds for the County Waterford stable on his return to the scene of his last victorious race-track appearance.
Ricky Doyle’s conveyance hasn’t got within 13 lengths of the winner in his four runs since taking out the Guinness Galway Blazers Handicap Chase over the Galway Plate course and distance on good ground at last year’s Festival off a mark of 130.
However, he returns to Ballybrit to contest the feature off the back of his best run since then, an 11-and-a-half length fourth to Duffle Coat over just shy of 3m at Ballinrobe.
It was also his first run on good ground since last year’s win and could well have put him spot-on for a tilt at the showpiece on the same going at a track and trip where he’s already excelled.
