Galway may be less taxing

Punters who had already made their plans and decided to save their Bellewstown ammunition for the second session, which was supposed to offer the first legitimate tax free betting on course in Ireland for more than 50 years, backed a loser.

The Sunday newspapers focused on the issue, but no one, not even the Irish Horseracing Authority (IHA), had apparently taken on board the necessity for the legislation to pass all stages in the Dail and Seanad before it could become operative.

While no firm date has been set, Galway could be the first fixture to profit from the new arrangements. One imagines though that if things run that late the IHA would prefer to gather in the revenue bonanza that the Galway Festival generates rather than the one third of one percent of the bookmakers' turnover.

David Hanley's ability to produce a race-fit first timer has been well established and in Crown Brief he has the right material to exploit in the Bambury Bookmakers Handicap.

On her first run last year she was third to Desert Fox and Baniyka over one mile and one furlong at Cork in April and on that occasion she was only five lengths behind the winner. As Desert Fox was himself only beaten a similar distance when third to Dream Well in the Budweiser Irish Derby, that was surely Crown Brief's best run of the season.

The Old Mill Handicap has been divided making this an eight-race card. Division I can afford Des McDonogh another opportunity to show the skill that enabled him to keep the Group II Pretty Polly Stakes prize at home by a short-head from Lady In Waiting on Saturday.

Here he partners Chu Culainn who, in the preceding Curragh race, had run fourth to The Third Curate. A win for Chu Culainn would, in turn, point to a strong run in Division II from The Boxer who missed his break at the Curragh and still finished seventh to The Third Curate.

Magic Annemarie always shows plenty of early pace and may not be caught in the five furlong sprint handicap.