Decision delayed as Etoile gets top weight
A decision on Accordion Etoile’s participation in the Guinness Galway Hurdle will be left until the end of the week after the gelding was allotted top weight in the July 28 contest.
Trainer Paul Nolan is considering the Galway race, in which he also has last year’s winner Cloone River entered, after Accordion Etoile landed yesterday’s betdaq.com Hurdle for the second year running.
“He has come out of Sunday’s race great. He has eaten up and is as sound as a pound,” said Nolan, whose charge finished fourth in last season’s Champion Hurdle.
“I haven’t spoken to the owners about a decision on the Galway Hurdle and we won’t make our mind up for another few days, until everything comes a little clearer.”
If Accordion Etoile were to take his place carrying 12st 4lb, Dermot Weld’s Ansar would be next in the weights on 10-10 followed by Cloone River, who has been allotted last year’s winning mark of 10-7.
Only 12 horses would race in the handicap proper, including Martin Todhunter’s Overstrand (10-2) and the Martin Pipe-trained Say What You See (9-12).
There are a total of three British horses among the 50 in the Galway Hurdle, with smooth Stratford winner Monticelli the final entry for Philip Hobbs.
A total of 46 are engaged in the Hewlett Packard Galway Plate including Ansar (11-10), who took the Grade One Chase by a length from Risk Accessor 12 months ago.
Colca Canyon (12-0) and Davenport Milenium (11-11) are the only two above Ansar in the weights, with Kerry National winner Banasan and British raider Liverpool Echo also on 11-10.
Next down the list on 11-5 is Jim Goldie’s Kid’Z’Play, who completed a recent Perth hat-trick yesterday.
There is a British contingent of five, the others being Richard Fahey’s Ball O Malt, Xellance from the Philip Hobbs stable, and Alan Jones’s 11-year-old Totheroadyouvgone.
