Galway boost

Racing/News and Bellewstown preview: A €1.5 million prize fund for the Galway festival at the end of the month was announced yesterday. The festival, which will run from July 28th to August 3rd, is expected to attract an estimated 200,000 visitors and was described yesterday as the "flagship of Irish racing."

The Galway race committee chairman John Coyle added: "Its contribution to racing both from an image point of view and financially is enormous."

Bellewstown stages the first session of its three day festival this evening and Seamus Heffernan looks the jockey to follow.

The Ballydoyle number two takes the mount on Lemonstown Lad in the mile maiden and the Frank Ennis trained horse looks up to beating an opposition who all look to figure in the low 80's in the ratings.

Lemonstown Lad followed up a third to Military Option at Leopardstown with a runner up placing to Pepperwood at Navan. A reproduction of that may be enough.

Heffernan is also on Penny Rye in the five furlong maiden and this one showed a lot of pace to emerge best of the rest behind Amandian at the Curragh.

Patsy Veale hasn't appeared since finishing runner up to Altay in the valuable handicap hurdle at Haydock in May but looks to have a good opportunity in the fourteen furlong handicap.

Harry Husyan is 10lbs higher for a Naas success last time out and that might just not be enough to stop him going in again in the three mile hurdle.

Fergal Lynch has lodged an appeal against the seven-day suspension he picked up for dropping his hands on Navado and being caught for third place by Night Sight at Doncaster on Sunday. The appeal will be heard at the Jockey Club at 10 o'clock tomorrow morning.