Tote Rollovers at Galway today The tote.com Galway Plate is gaining quite the reputation for launching young jockeys into the limelight and this year’s renewal certainly didn’t disappoint. Two years ago Shane Shortall drove Road To Riches up the famous Ballybrit hill to take the Galway Plate and last year it was the turn of Johnny Burke on Shanahan’s Turn. This year it was Donagh Myler and Lord Scoundrel to take a thrilling finish and give Gigginstown a second win in three years in the famous race. It was some way to mark his first ride for trainer Gordon Elliot. It also provided Gordon Elliot with his first win in the Plate. 2014 winner Road To Riches, attempting to become the first horse since Ansar to win two Galway Plates, and become the first horse since Life Of A Lord (20 years ago) to lump top-weight to victory, never jumped cleanly and was eventually pulled up. Ballycasey took them along for almost the entire race and was still there rounding the turn but there was no shortage of challengers sitting close behind in search of that first prize of almost €130,000. Alechi Inois, only sixth last year when a heavily-backed favourite, was the first to challenge on the inside and looked like he might gain compensation for last year. Then came Devils Bride and Clarcam, more of the Gigginstown battalion that were sent to reclaim this huge prize. And all the time Ruby Walsh was galvanising Ballycasey, looking like repelling all-comers until Donagh Myler brought Lord Scoundrel right up the stands rail with a brilliantly timed run to win by a snug-looking length and a quarter. At a preview night in McHugh’s bar in Castlegar on Tuesday night Kerry Lee, having had a hugely successful first season having taken over the reins from Dad Richard, put up Lord Scoundrel as her best bet of the day. Maybe a career in tipping awaits if the day job doesn’t work out! A big pay-out for the young jockey yesterday but maybe an even bigger pay-out for some lucky Tote customers today. Tote Ireland have put up over €1.25m in guarantees for the seven days of Galway this year and some huge Pick 6 and Jackpot pools are guaranteed later today with over €174,000 rolling into the Pick 6 and over €51,000 rolling into the Jackpot. The card at Galway looks far from impossible and anybody willing to invest the time to study form and pick 4 (or 6) winners should be handsomely rewarded with some very, very big dividends. And for those not too inclined to spend hours poring through form-lines Tote Ireland have a QuickPick facility available that will make all of the selections for you. Last year at Galway an American couple did just that, buying a €16 QuickPick and collecting over €11,000 on the Jackpot. They say that lightning doesn’t strike twice but maybe the old adage ‘If you’re not in you can’t win!’ is more appropriate. Tote Ireland has always been about the Small Stakes — Big Win, and come Friday morning we may very well have some more good news stories from Galway.
