Galway heroes head for Killarney

The feature race on the opening day of the Killarney Festival next Monday is the Irish Open July 28th – July 31st Steeplechase and the two mile one furlong event has attracted six entries. Sir Frederick is the eye-catching name among the sextet given that the Galway Plate hero of 2007 hasn't seen action since April 2008.

His trainer Liam Burke said Wednesday afternoon: "It's been three years since he ran. We tried to get him back last year and failed so he got another year off and we're just hoping really. He seems well in himself but he is pushing on now (eleven-year-old).

"He got a 'leg' the year after he won the Galway Plate - the following spring. He ran well at Punchestown and picked up the injury then. He's been off for so long – I know he still hasn't the miles up on the clock and he seems well in himself and I was hoping to go back to Galway again. I'll have to give him a run somewhere before it to see. If he doesn't shape up he'll be going back point-to-pointing.

"If the ground is safe in Killarney he'll run. The enthusiasm is still there – he seems to be working well and he didn't really get an awful lot of racing (25 races under Rules)."

Killarney regular and a stylish winner of the contest last year, Schelm is also in the line-up whilst another old favourite, Ponmeoath, who reappeared over hurdles at Limerick last Sunday, is entered too. The dual Kerry National winner showed that he wasn't finished yet by winning at Cork in March.

Deutschland is top-rated with a mark of 145 but he has been under-performing of late. Echo Bob, a mere seven-year-old, is rated almost 20Ibs below that on 126 and he could represent Henry De Bromhead in Monday's feature.

Last but certainly not least is Pat Flynn's Bahrain Storm. Despite his inexperience over the larger obstacles, he looked like an old hand when winning at Tipperary on his third attempt in a chase, in May, and Pat Flynn is likely to give the 2009 Galway Hurdle victor an entry in this year's Galway Plate.

The eight-year-old has been a fantastic servant to connections winning eleven times and Flynn said: "He'll either run in that (Monday's race) or in a winners of one but I'd say he might run on Monday.

"I didn't get a chance to look at the runners yet. We have the Galway Plate or even the hurdle again in mind for him after that. If Overturn comes over again he'd push us down the weights a bit for the hurdle. We'll just have to wait and see." (EM)