1:42 Galway
The 1:42 at Galway is a 15-runner Brasserie On The Corner Handicap Steeplechase run over 2m2f54y on soft ground. It features a clutch of smart and useful performers, several with course form and recent placings, and the KTB Fit scores range from 68 down to 39, indicating a competitive field where proven ability at the track and on the ground will be key. Clonbury Bridge heads the KTB Fit ratings as the selection, though several others sit close behind and bring strong recent form or track affinity.
How the race shapes up
With a genuinely-run pace shape and high confidence, a front-runner is expected to be pressed by several prominent and handy types from the outset. Clonbury Bridge, Leave In Secret, Mount Frisco, Springboard, Prince Palace, Parkgarve and Dearg Mor are all likely to be involved up with the pace, while held-up runners such as Potters Pal, Along The Way, Leni's Law, Lanzhou, Dontcavein and Piccolo Player will look to come through later. The key question is whether the prominent brigade can dictate a strong enough gallop to blunt the late challengers on this soft surface, or whether the race will be won from off the pace in a truly-run affair.
The KTB Fit ranking
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1Clonbury Bridge KTB Selection68/100
Clonbury Bridge is a smart performer who has won once from five runs at Galway and arrives off the back of two placed efforts over longer trips this year. He is only 1-7 on soft ground yet has shown he remains competitive at this level, though the drop back from 3m to today's 2m2f asks a fresh question. The 10-year-old, rated 110, will race prominently and usually races handily on or close to the lead. Both trainer J P Dempsey and jockey Keith Donoghue record strike rates at the track that sit in line with their figures elsewhere, with the yard on 11% from 70 runs at Galway and the rider on 9% from 165 rides. Recent form of 2P4-P5 underlines his continued competitiveness.
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2Leave In Secret60/100
Leave In Secret is a smart performer who has won once from five runs at Galway and is proven on soft ground. The 7-year-old, rated 109, steps up in trip today having been placed without winning over this distance on all three previous attempts. He will race prominently and usually races handily on or close to the lead. Trainer Thomas Gibney and jockey James Smith both operate at their usual level here, the yard on 10% from 93 runs at Galway and the 3lb claimer on 6% from 33 rides. Recent form reads -74326 and his placed effort on soft ground from a single start adds to his appeal in these conditions.
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3Potters Pal60/100
Potters Pal is a smart performer who arrives in decent order after a win and a third on his last two starts. The 5-year-old, rated 105, has won on soft ground from his only attempt and has been placed at today's trip though he drops back in distance now. He will be held up and produces his effort late. This represents first time at Galway for both horse and trainer while jockey Danny Gilligan's 9% strike rate from 67 rides sits in line with his record elsewhere. Recent form of 51P-31 shows he is in good heart heading into this assignment.
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4Harty Cup56/100
Harty Cup is a useful performer who showed his best form when winning at this track last time out from an official rating of 99. The 5-year-old steps up in trip today having last run over 2m, which asks a fresh question, while the dam has had just one other runner that failed to win. He will race prominently and usually races handily on or close to the lead. Trainer Robert Tyner has a 5% strike rate at Galway from 59 runs, in line with his record elsewhere, and jockey Harry Cobden has a 17% strike rate at the track from 12 rides. Recent form reads 79413- and he has placed on soft from a single start.
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5Along The Way50/100
Along The Way is a useful performer who showed fair form when placed over hurdles last season. The 6-year-old has not really built on that in three starts this year and was well held when last seen in December. He drops back in trip on soft ground for his first run at Galway. Rated 102, he will be held up and produces his effort late. Trainer Eddie & Patrick Harty record a 10% strike rate at the track from 30 runs while jockey Aidan Kelly is on 3% from 31 rides here. His three runs on soft have produced no win or place.
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6Mount Frisco48/100
Mount Frisco is a smart performer who has been a model of consistency this year with three placings from his last four completed starts. The 7-year-old drops back in trip having been placed over this distance before though he has never won at it and his record on soft ground shows placed efforts without a victory. He will race prominently and usually races handily on or close to the lead. Trainer and jockey both operate at a 4% and 7% strike rate at Galway which sits in line with their figures elsewhere.
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7Springboard47/100
Springboard is a useful performer who won on his only previous visit to Galway and has also won at today's trip. The 7-year-old arrives in decent form after a recent success and holds an official rating of 92. He will race prominently and usually races handily on or close to the lead. The trainer's 4% strike rate at the track is in line with his record elsewhere while the jockey's 10% strike rate here matches his overall figure, though the horse remains unproven on soft ground.
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8Prince Palace46/100
Prince Palace is a useful performer who has shown his best form on soft ground, placing all three times he has run on it. The 8-year-old has been placed once from three runs at Galway and was a clear second on his most recent start, though he drops back in trip today to a distance he has never tried. He will race prominently and usually races handily on or close to the lead. The trainer's 4% strike rate at the track is in line with his record elsewhere while the jockey is still seeking his first win from ten rides here.
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9Parkgarve46/100
Parkgarve is a useful performer on his day with a win at today's trip from four attempts and an official rating of 92. The 6-year-old drops back in distance having last run over 2m3f, tries first-time headgear, and has only one run on soft ground where he failed to place. He will race prominently and usually races handily on or close to the lead. The trainer is 0% from 22 runs at Galway while the jockey is 4% from 24 rides here, both in line with their figures at other tracks.
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10Leni's Law46/100
Leni's Law is a useful performer on official ratings and has shown some ability in recent runs without quite landing a big one. The 7-year-old drops back in trip today having last run over 2m4f. He will be held up and produces his effort late. Trainer and jockey both operate at a 7% and 4% strike rate respectively at Galway which sits in line with their records elsewhere. The dam has had one other runner that failed to win.
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11Lanzhou45/100
Lanzhou is a useful performer who arrives in good heart after winning last time out and showing consistent placed form prior to that. The 5-year-old steps up in trip today having been unsuccessful in his one previous attempt at this distance while his two runs on soft ground have produced no win or place. He will be held up and produces his effort late. The trainer has only had two runners at Galway so the sample is too small to judge while the jockey has a 0% strike rate from 15 rides here.
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12Dearg Mor44/100
Dearg Mor is a useful performer who has shown consistent form this year, finishing no worse than fourth in four starts and placing over this trip on his only attempt at the distance. The 5-year-old has already run well here at Galway when third on his sole visit to the track. He will race prominently and usually races handily on or close to the lead. The yard's 4% strike rate at Galway is in line with their record elsewhere while the jockey's 6% strike rate at the course matches his wider figures, though the horse remains unproven on soft ground.
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13Bigbraveboy43/100
Bigbraveboy is a useful performer on official ratings with a solid recent record that includes a win and two placed efforts from his last five starts. The 8-year-old has run just once at Galway and finished well beaten while the trainer has only two runs here so the sample is too small to judge. He tends to make the running or race on the pace. The jockey operates at a 4% strike rate at the track which sits in line with his overall figure and the horse drops back in trip today to a distance he has never tried.
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14Dontcavein41/100
Dontcavein is a useful performer who has shown some promise on his two runs at this track, finishing fourth on the latest of them. The 6-year-old steps up in trip today having last run over a shorter distance and the family background offers encouragement with a half-brother to a multiple winner. He will be held up and produces his effort late. Trainer and jockey both operate at a 5% strike rate here which is in line with their records at other courses.
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15Piccolo Player39/100
Piccolo Player is a useful performer who has been consistent enough in recent starts without winning. The 5-year-old steps up in trip today having shown only modest form on soft ground last time. He will be held up and produces his effort late. The trainer's 4% strike rate at Galway from 140 runs is in line with his record elsewhere while the jockey's 7% strike rate at the track from 27 rides matches his overall figure.
KTB verdict
Clonbury Bridge is the KTB Selection. He brings smart form, a Galway win on his record, and two placed efforts this year from longer trips, and his prominent run-style should see him well placed in a race that is set to be run at a genuine pace. While the drop back to 2m2f on soft ground poses a question, he has shown enough at this level to suggest he can take advantage. The main dangers are Leave In Secret, who has course-winning form and is proven on soft, Potters Pal, who arrives in good order with a soft-ground win to his name, and Harty Cup, who scored here last time out, though both the trip and the family record add unknowns for the latter.
KTB Selection Clonbury Bridge
Early prices
The best price per runner across the bookmakers we track, each as first seen (UK time). Every runner had a price by 2:42am, 25 Oct. Prices move — see the live racecard for current prices.
| Runner | Early price | Bookmaker, time |
|---|---|---|
| Clonbury Bridge | 33/1 | BetTom, 1:03am |
| Leave In Secret | 11/1 | LiveScore Bet, 2:42am |
| Potters Pal | 4/1 | LiveScore Bet, 2:42am |
| Harty Cup | 9/2 | LiveScore Bet, 2:42am |
| Along The Way | 18/1 | BoyleSports, 2:06am |
| Mount Frisco | 14/1 | LiveScore Bet, 2:42am |
| Springboard | 6/1 | LiveScore Bet, 2:42am |
| Prince Palace | 12/1 | LiveScore Bet, 2:42am |
| Parkgarve | 28/1 | LiveScore Bet, 2:42am |
| Leni's Law | 14/1 | LiveScore Bet, 2:42am |
| Lanzhou | 5/1 | Star Sports, 2:27am |
| Dearg Mor | 5/1 | Bet365, 1:39am |
| Bigbraveboy | 20/1 | BoyleSports, 2:06am |
| Dontcavein | 12/1 | LiveScore Bet, 2:42am |
| Piccolo Player | 11/1 | LiveScore Bet, 2:42am |
This is the narrative read of the 1:42 Galway. For the live card — runner-by-runner stats, the full Fit Score breakdown and current odds — see the Galway racecard. Every result we hold for the track is on the Galway results & records page. How favourites, trainers, jockeys and the draw have fared here over the last five years is on the Galway racecourse statistics page. New here? How KTB works explains the Fit Score and why we publish both.
Questions about this race
Which horse has the highest KTB Fit Score and is the selection?
Clonbury Bridge with a KTB Fit Score of 68/100.
How many horses are prominent or front-running in this genuinely-run race?
At least eight: Clonbury Bridge, Leave In Secret, Harty Cup, Mount Frisco, Springboard, Prince Palace, Parkgarve and Dearg Mor, plus Bigbraveboy who tends to make the running.
Which runners have previous winning form at Galway?
Clonbury Bridge, Leave In Secret, Springboard and Harty Cup.
Which horses are unproven on soft ground?
Springboard, Dearg Mor and Dontcavein have no runs on soft; Parkgarve, Leni's Law, Lanzhou and Piccolo Player have run once on soft without placing.
Which trainers have the strongest strike rate at Galway among those with meaningful data?
Ian Patrick Donoghue on 15% from 27 runs with his jockey, though the yard itself is 0% from 22; J P Dempsey is 11% from 70 runs.
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