RACING: GALWAY FESTIVAL DAY ONEPROSPECTOROUS CAN give Philip Dempsey his biggest success since he took out a licence to train in the carlton/galwaycity handicap which takes centre stage on the opening night of the Galway Festival.

Dempsey has snapped up the services of leading point-to-point jockey Jamie Codd for the amateur rider’s event and there is plenty to like about the chances of his charge.

In particular, Prospectorous boasts a convincing record at this track. From four starts at Galway he has won twice and been placed twice.

The seven-year-old should be all the better for a recent comeback over hurdles at Gowran, while his form in handicaps last season stands up to scrutiny.

It is worth recalling that when he won a mile handicap at Galway last August he defeated the subsequent Listed winner Boynagh Joy.

In addition, his third to the talented Bob Le Beau in a good handicap at Dundalk last October is another strong piece of form.

His best form is over shorter trips but he should cope with the step up to two miles, and Prospectorous can become just the second horse in 10 years to carry more than 11st to victory in the Monday night feature.

Dermot Weld, chasing a fourth win in five years, relies on Natural High, who will be ridden by top amateur Robbie McNamara.

This Sadler’s Wells gelding can be expected to have improved from his winning comeback at Limerick last month. A former bumper winner at this meeting, Natural High has never been out of the frame in four outings at Galway. Weld, who sent out a record-breaking 11 winners at this meeting last year, can get the meeting off to a perfect start with Sulwaan in the opening novice hurdle. The Rosewell House trainer will be searching for his fifth win in eight years in this event and his representative this year is sure to be a popular choice.

Sulwaan was a useful sort on the flat in England before making a winning start over hurdles in a novice event at Sligo just over two weeks ago. For one with no previous jumping experience he did very well to overcome the useful pair of Tavern Times and Princeton Plains.

Perhaps the most interesting battle of the evening comes in the two-year-old maiden where Weld and Aidan O’Brien do battle once more. The former has won this race three times in the last five years, while O’Brien has struck twice.

On this occasion preference is for the Ballydoyle trainer’s Learn. The Galileo colt ran a race of considerable promise on his debut at the Curragh last month when he was third to stablemate David Livingston. He will be all the better for that run and is marginally preferred to Riviera Poet, who shaped up very well on his only start in early May when he was third to the subsequent Coventry Stakes scorer Power and last week’s Tyros Stakes heroine Remember Alexander. Later, Arthur Moore could send out a rare flat winner when his Gentleman Duke contests the mile-and-a-half handicap.

The gelding will have the assistance of promising apprentice Ronan Whelan who will take a valuable seven pounds off his back.

Gentleman Duke struggled to find his form on his first couple of runs this season but did much better when upped in trip at Killarney earlier this month, finishing second to the useful Negotiate. The slightly longer trip of this race and the stiffer test of stamina presented by this track should play to his strengths .

De Senectute could score for Willie Mullins in the handicap hurdle following her encouraging comeback win on the flat at Bellewstown, and Jim Bolger’s Ri An Domhnaigh showed enough on his first run to indicate he can land the bumper. Recent Curragh winner Lake George looks the answer in the seven-furlong handicap.

Final figures from last year

OVER 150,000 flocked to the Galway Festival in 2010 and course manager John Moloney is hopeful this year’s week-long show can surpass that figure.

“We’re hoping that we might do better again this year,” he said yesterday. The weather looks set to be good, the bookings are positive and so is the feedback from all the hotels around here.

“Everyone seems to be more positive this time around so hopefully we can improve on last year’s figures.”

While racecourse attendance has suffered in recent years the country’s main festivals, of which Galway is the centrepiece, have held their own.

LAST YEAR’S FIGURES

Attendance: 150,767

Tote: €5,770,319

Bookmakers: €13,106,778