Ado McGuinness eyes up Galway Festival

Ado McGuinness' love affair with Ballybrit is growing deeper with every passing year and the popular Lusk-based trainer could have as many as 20 runners at the 2023 Galway Races where his team will once again be captained by course specialist Current Option.

The seven-year-old is searching for an astonishing fourth win in a row in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF "Ahonoora" Handicap on the final day of the festival having won the race in 2020, 2021 and 2022 at odds of 15-2, 5-1 and 11-2.

Speaking from the serene surroundings of Rush strand at a media morning ahead of the Galway Races, McGuinness revealed why the seven-day extravaganza means so much to him.

"Galway is a place where an ordinary fella can get results," he explained. "You can have a nice, well-handicapped, horse who can do very well at Galway. An ordinary fella can make a name for himself there.

"The amount of recognition you get when you have a winner during race week at Galway is unbelievable, it's better than three or four winners at one of the ordinary country tracks. It's a place where you can make a name for yourself."

He added: "There is no place like it to have a bit of fun and craic either. A lot of our guys who are involved with our horses - the Dooley brothers, Bart O'Sullivan, Jim Fairchild, James O'Sullivan, everyone involved with Shamrock Thoroughbreds - they all love the place.

"The Dooley guys are bringing 24 or 25 over this year. Two or three lads came over with them last year and I think there is an army of them coming this year. It is just spiralling for those guys. They have a great time and it's a great place to be for the week."

The Ahonoora Handicap at 4pm on Sunday fortnight, August 6, is a race with a big circle around it on McGuinness' calendar. No horse other than Current Option has won it since 2020 and the trainer reports the defending champion to be bang on course to defend his crown in the €110,000 event.

McGuinness said: "This is a Group 3 horse, and a Listed winner as well, who's running in a handicap. If you drop a Group 3 horse back into a handicap he's usually the best horse in the race and usually when you have the best horse in the race they win. You very often find Group horses running in premier handicaps off top weight and they often win them.

"I'm privileged that I have horses like Current Option who can run in premier handicaps."

Just as has been the case in previous years, Current Option will once again warm up for his showdown on the Sunday by running on the Colm Quinn BMW Mile Handicap on the Tuesday beforehand.

He was fourth to Magic Chegaga at 28-1 in that last year, seventh in 2021 and 14th in 2020. It serves the purpose of blowing the cobwebs away for his big day on Sunday and McGuinness is not willing to change a winning formula.

He said: "Currant Option will run in the big mile race on the Tuesday as well as the race on the Sunday. He was placed in the mile race last year and I'll take either. I don't mind which one of them he wins!

"He's quite a fresh and highly-strung horse so if you just left him for one race he could be very fresh. Usually we target the two races with him.

"We ride him out in a hood most of the time at home. Ruby Walsh was up here a few weeks ago and he couldn't believe he still rides out in a hood given his age but he is still as enthusiastic as ever. He's in cracking form and my biggest problem I have is to try and hold his form for next two weeks. We're looking forward to him running and sure just look at the form he has over there, he just loves the place."

McGuinness' first taste of Galway glory during the summer festival was back in 2010 when Beau Michael won a novice chase at 4-1 under Barry Geraghty. He was bitten by the bug from that point on and is planning one of his biggest raids on the event 13 years on.

He said: "I will have between 15 and 20 for the week, I'd say. You can only win the Lotto with one ticket, but the more tickets you have the better chance you have of winning. That's the way I look at it.

"Last year in the big race on the Sunday we had six horses in the top ten. We're not going there with any horses to make up the numbers, those horses deserve to be in these races.

"It will be Saltonstall's sixth year in a row heading to Galway. He'll definitely go for the Mile race on the Tuesday. He was so unlucky this year in the Irish Lincoln. He just loves Galway, loves a fast pace and he's definitely going to get that. Saltonstall's biggest problem around Galway is getting a clear run, he got murdered last year. Adam [Caffrey] is going to ride him this year and he ran really well around Leopardstown."

Other McGuinness contenders at Galway include Casanova, Sirjack Thomas, No More Porter, Hightimeyouwon, Laugh A Minute, Star Harbour, Half Nutz and Exquisite Acclaim.

Speaking about the rest of his squad, McGuinness said: "Casanova has probably been the unluckiest horse I've ever had. He was second in the Mile last year and second in the Ahonoora. He was placed in the Lincoln, placed in the Cambridgeshire, but he just can't seem to get his head in front. He was just touched off this year in a big race and second at Tipperary as well. The Mile race would be his forte, but he was placed at Tipperary over seven and I'll drop him back to seven on the Sunday as well and if the ground is slow he'll have his chance.

"Sirjack Thomas is not going to get into the mile race but he will run in two handicaps there over the week. He's actually won twice down there and been placed twice. He loves it there so watch out for him wherever he shows up.

"No More Porter runs in the Scurry this weekend at the Curragh but could run again at Galway, while Hightimeyouwon will run in one of the handicaps as well, although he's probably not high enough to get into one of the bigger races.

"Laugh A Minute has run very, very well for the last two years in the Ahonoora Handicap and he'll go back for that. Half Nutz will run two of the handicaps, a fast pace will suit him. Galway could suit Exquisite Acclaim too. He's a strong traveller who doesn't always find as much as you think off it, but often when they go hard at Galway can travel away and don't need to find much."