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The Irish Sun
a day ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Galway Festival day two: Betting tips, odds, and race rundown
DAY two of the Galway Festival starts with a Listed hurdle and is followed by a fascinating beginners' chase. The highlight of day two comes in the COLM QUINN BMW Premier Handicap as fourteen go to post in search of the over €70,000 first prize. 🏇 Quick Galway Festival day two tips Win singles and each way bets with odds from the 5:05 COLM QUINN BMW Novice Hurdle: 5:37 The Latin Quarter Beginners Steeplechase: 6:07 COLM QUINN BMW Irish EBF Fillies Maiden: 6:40 The Caulfield Industrial Irish EBF Maiden: 7:15 COLM QUINN BMW Mile Handicap: 7:50 The Handicap: 8:20 The Caulfield Industrial Handicap: 5:05 COLM QUINN BMW Novice Hurdle (4yo+) – 2m½f Seven of the eight runners come in here on the back of a win. Emily Love is on a five-timer and has looked good when taking care of her rivals at Killarney. Jack Kennedy has chosen to ride Timeless Treaty, and even though he has only won two lower-level races, connections must be expecting a big performance from the son of Harzand. Avondale should be taken seriously here as his form took a boost with the seven-length second Persian Daughter going on to win by thirteen lengths on her next start. However, the Willie Mullins pair of the well-bred Vicar Street, and LA NOTE VERTE look to be the ones who can take a big step forward here. Vicar Street was a good winner of his maiden under Anna McGuinness, and there will be a lot more to come from him, but the double green of La Note Verte has looked a massive improver of late. She won her latest by twelve lengths, beating Fairbank, and had all her rivals in trouble turning in for home. She can run or sit behind a pace, and if she settles a bit more with experience, she will prove hard to beat. 2024 Winner: Gale Mahler J : Henry Brooke – T : Adrian Keatley Odds : 9/2 Our Pick: LA NOTE VERTE Trainer: Willie Mullins Jockey: Paul Townend Form: 8/1-11 Age: 5 Weight: 11st 2lb ➡️ 5:37 The Latin Quarter Beginners Steeplechase (4yo+) - 2m2f On ability alone, King Of Kingsfield should have the winning of this. But for all his talent, his attitude doesn't match it. From fourteen starts on the track, he has only managed one win, which was in a maiden hurdle. Yes, he has been used as a pacemaker in some of his races, but when he has been handed what looked like an easy opportunity on paper, he has failed to follow through with his effort. He may be the clear class angle, but he has to be taken on, especially on a track that will demand a lot from him in a finish. With that, a chance is taken that JET SETTING JIM can get a lot more luck in running than when third in this last season. He warmed up for this with a second to Wille Mullins's Runcock at Tipperary, and with him now having his eye back in over fences, he may well be able to get the better of King Of Kingsfield. My Great Mate, who was last seen behind The Yellow Clay in the Grade 2 Navan Novice Hurdle, would be a danger should fences improve him, and if his stablemate Lisnagar Fortune can finally sort out his jumping, then he has more than enough ability to mix it with the best of these. But that is a big if. 2024 Winner: Thecompanysergeant J : Rachael Blackmore – T : Denis Hogan Odds : 6/4Fav Our pick: JET SETTING JIM Trainer: John Queally Jockey: J J Slevin Form: F35P-2 Age: 8 Weight: 11st 12lb ➡️ 6:07 COLM QUINN BMW Irish EBF Fillies Maiden (2yo) - 7f Thenandnow finished ahead of AMELIA EARHART when both made their racecourse debut at Leopardstown this month, but the feeling is that Almila Earhart will come on considerably from that experience. She was the strong favourite on the day and showed considerable greenness before running on strongly in the closing stages. There may not be a lot between Thenandnow and Amelia Earhart, but the daughter of Camelot can take a big step forward here. Paddy Twomey's Black Caviar Gold needs to be monitored in the betting, given the Twomey yard can ready one on their racecourse debut. 2024 Winner: Bubbling l – J: Wayne Lordan – T: Aidan O'Brien - Odds: 13/8Fav Our pick: AMELIA EARHART Trainer: Aidan O'Brien Jockey: Jack Cleary (5lb) Form: 3 Age: 2 Weight: 9st 2lb ➡️ 6:40 The Caulfield Industrial Irish EBF Maiden (Premier Handicap) (3yo+) - 1m½f This is not one of the strongest maidens you will see this week, and most with experience do not set a high standard. However, the twice-raced COLLECTING COIN was headed late on in a Curragh maiden and has since been gelded. He still has more to offer and will not need to improve much from his latest run to get off the mark. Gran Habano wasn't far behind Collecting Coin at the Curragh, and should he leave his latest poor run behind him, he may be the one to follow home the selection. 2024 Winner: Lucky Out – J: Seamie Heffernan – T: Thomas Mullins – Odds: 7/4Fav Our pick: COLLECTING COIN Trainer: Jessica Harrington Jockey: Shane Foley Form: 32 Age: 3 Weight: 9st 8lb ➡️ 7:15 COLM QUINN BMW Mile Handicap (3yo+) - 7f Mississippi River has been running well of late. Jack Cleary takes a valuable three pounds off, and he looks sure to be in the mix. Slieve Binnian who got the better of Mississippi River is in the form of his life and despite an eight-pound rise, he will be bang there on a track that looks sure to suit his closing style. Evening Blossom was a good winner at Killarney and can take his seven-pound rise in his stride, but ORANDI may be the one to side with here. Since returning to Tony Martin last year, this seven-year-old gelding has hit new heights. He started this season with a win in the Irish Lincolnshire and backed that up with a near miss in the Lincoln at Doncaster. He hasn't been seen since, and looks like one that has been laid out for this. The draw is not ideal for his hold-up style, but granted a smooth passage under his inexperienced but talented claimer, he is sure to be fighting out the finish. Norwalk Havoc looks set for a big run, and at bigger prices, Bear Profit and Power Under Me can go well. 2024 Winner: Maxicali Rose – J: M W Hassett – T: Joseph O'Brien Odds: 12/1 Our pick: ORANDI Trainer: A J Martin Jockey: Jimmy Dalton (10lb) Form: 223-13 Age: 7 Weight: 9st 7lb ➡️ 7:50 The Handicap (4yo+) - 7f A wide-open handicap with cases to be made for many. Alpha Capture ran twice at last season's Galway Festival with no luck and will have to leave a flat performance behind him if he is to make it third time lucky at Ballybrit. Course and distance winner Imposing Supreme is two pounds higher than his win here last season, and ran well on his comeback from 301 days on the sidelines. He looks sure to be primed for this and is set to go close. Another with a course and distance win to his name is Rhythm King. He was flat on his comeback, but like others, he will have been laid out of this; however, he would prefer a bit of give underfoot. However, a chance is taken that the consistent DARK VIPER can continue his good form here. He ran another big race last week at Naas when beaten a head, and even with a four-pound rise, this can set up for him to close late on. 2024 Winner: Reidh – J: Oisin Orr – T: Richard Fahey - Odds: 10/3Fav Our pick: DARK VIPER Trainer: Jessica Harrington Jockey: Shane Foley Form: -21352 Age: 4 Weight: 9st 12lb ➡️ 8:20 The Caulfield Industrial Handicap (4yo+) - 1m½f Speckled Meadow, a course winner when trained by Terence O'Brien, this eight-year-old runs this course well and has an each-way chance in a wide-open affair. Si Senior has improved of late and looks sure to go well off top weight. Lexington Dash would be interesting if support were to come for him on the back of a 268-day break. Loingseoir has been running well of late and can go close, but a chance is taken on HELIOGABALUS . He has yet to get off the mark in ten starts, but he has been threatening to rectify that in recent runs. He comes here on the back of a staying on third at Killarney, and with the application of first time blinker, this relatively unexposed gelding can go well at a price. 2024 Winner: Clear Quartz J: Ronan Whelan – T: Mark Fahey - Odds: 12/1 Our pick: HELIOGABALUS Trainer: Sean Byrne Jockey: Shane Foley Form: -86203 Age: 4 Weight: 9st 12lb ➡️ 🕔 Galway Festival day two schedule TIME RACE DISTANCE 5:05 COLM QUINN BMW Novice Hurdle 2m½f 5:37 The Latin Quarter Beginners Steeplechase 2m2f 6:07 COLM QUINN BMW Irish EBF Fillies Maiden 7f 6:40 The Caulfield Industrial Irish EBF Maiden 1m½f 7:15 COLM QUINN BMW Mile Handicap 7f 7:50 The Handicap 7f 8:20 The Caulfield Industrial Handicap 1m½f 📺 How to watch day two of the Galway Festival Location: Ballybrit, Galway, Ireland Date/Time: Tuesday, 29th July 2025. First Race 5:05 TV/Streaming: RTÉ2 & Racing TV About the author Craig Mahood Craig Mahood is an expert in sports betting and online casinos and has worked with the company since 2020. He joined the Betting & Gaming team at The Sun in June 2022 and works closely with the leading bookmakers and online gaming companies to provide content on all areas of sports betting and gaming. He previously worked as a Digital Sports Reporter at the Scottish Sun, covering Scottish football with particular focus on Celtic and Rangers, As well as football, he has covered horse racing, boxing, darts, the Olympics and tennis for the Sun. Responsible gambling A responsible gambler is someone who: Establishes time and monetary limits before playing Only gambles with money they can afford to lose Never chase their losses Doesn't gamble if they're upset, angry, or depressed Problem gambling – Gamble Aware – Help with gambling addiction If you have a problem with gambling, or you know someone who does, help is out there. Extern Problem Gambling is the leading provider of information, treatment, advice, and support for anyone affected by gambling harms across Ireland. Most read in Betting
Irish Daily Mirror
22-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Daily Mirror
Fair City star praises Al Porter for turning life around and 'ploughing forward'
Fair City actor Ryan Andrews has praised comedian Al Porter for turning his life around and "ploughing forward" in his career. He has worked with his fellow Dubliner for more than eight years, co-writing the Olympia panto with Stuart O'Connor. Last week, Porter shared his unbelievable transformation over the past four years after ditching the booze and drugs. Ryan, 32, said: "Al is absolutely brilliant. What he is doing with his career now, he is so talented. "He is the most talented, funny, charismatic person I've ever met. He's better now than he has ever been." In 2017, Porter's world came crashing down after he was accused of sexual assault and inappropriate behaviour by a number of men. He disappeared from the spotlight for a number of years before resurfacing in 2022. Last week, Porter, 32, posted on social media: "Wow! This pic came up as a memory. "It reminds me how far you can come with love and support and time and a lot of effort in the right direction. "Here, in 2019, I'm burying my head in the sand, trying to smile, but drinking myself into oblivion, trying to numb lifeand reality with drink, Xanax, weed, anything. "I didn't want to accept my life or really be in it. I'd let so many people down and didn't know what to do. "The next pic over is a couple of weeks ago finishing Hell & Back for Cystic Fibrosis. "It's a real smile. Four years sober, even longer of counselling, and years of what my friend in restorative practice calls accountability in a supportive environment – not hiding from reality of your mistakes, but getting support to change, be better and to see a future for a different you, opportunities to make a positive life and contribution to society again." He added: "I am very blessed to have had so much love and sometimes tough love in my life, that gave me a reason to do the work on myself; to change drastically and turn things around and I'm not finished yet. I am very grateful for the people that saw a future for flawed person who had made mistakes when I thought there was none. "There is always a chance to better yourself and better days ahead if you change things – it's not easy but it's worth it." Speaking about Porter's journey, Ryan said: "I've seen him on stage in Vicar Street and his local show and even when he came back to the panto after eight years. "The Al eight years ago to the Al now is like… he was so… the audience erupted. "Everyone knows everyone is on their own journey, like us all. "I was proud of him for how he turned it around and how he is still turning it around and ploughing forward." Barnardos ambassador Ryan was speaking as he took part in a 12-hour Riverdanceathon at the Gaiety Theatre in Dublin to help raise money for the children's charity. Over 580 dancers from dance schools across Ireland took part in the Riverdanceathon. Members of the Riverdance cast also joined in to start the event just before 10am on Thursday and again at lunchtime to perform three numbers from the show on the Gaiety Plaza as well as bringing it all to an end that evening. Through this partnership Riverdance hopes to raise funds and awareness for the work of Barnardos. Each year for its summer run at the Gaiety, Riverdance partners with a charity. Barnardos is Ireland's largest children's charity which helps and supports the most vulnerable children and families in society to achieve their full potential with the support of the public. To donate, log onto
Irish Independent
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
West Clare's Vandeleur Festival reveals line-up for weekend celebration of music, culture and community spirit
Set in the beautiful surrounds of the Vandeleur Walled Garden and Visitor Centre, the festival promises a four-day celebration of music, culture and community spirit. The line-up, which festival organisers announced over the weekend, includes local and international acts. The festival opens on Thursday, June 26, with beloved Kerry comedian Bernard Casey taking to the stage. 'Known for his sharp wit and relatable humour, Casey has sold out major venues such as the INEC, Vicar Street, and The Everyman Theatre, as well as performing internationally in London, New York, and Boston,' festival organisers said. Clare's own award-winning trio, Socks in the Frying Pan, will headline the Friday night, with their 'energetic blend of traditional Irish melodies and modern rhythms' promising a great show. Cherish the Ladies are returning by 'popular demand', according to festival organisers - and they are hitting the stage on Saturday, June 28. Once again, this Irish American supergroup will 'dazzle audiences with their exhilarating mix of traditional Irish music, stunning vocals, and spellbinding step dancing'. Also on Saturday, there will be an opportunity to meet local makers, secure in-store promotions, and see special guests as the brand-new Gifts at Vandeleur Gift Shop by Kilkenny Design is launched. Closing the festival on Sunday, June 29 is country music sensation Gerry Guthrie. The Ballina-based singer and his five-piece band have been entertaining audiences across Ireland and the UK for more than ten years, with their show 'promising a high-energy finale' to this year's festivities. Beyond the headline acts, there will be music throughout Saturday and Sunday at the garden. All evening concerts begin at 7.30pm and are ticketed events. Festival organisers recommend early booking as capacity is limited, with demand expected to be high. A park and ride service will be established for the festival and will operate every fifteen minutes between Kilrush town centre and the festival venue each evening. The 2025 Vandeleur Festival is supported by Clare County Council, the Kilrush Town Team, Kilrush Amenity Trust CLG, and Kilrush Credit Union.
Irish Times
04-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
Bonnie Raitt in Vicar Street: a healing night of welcome warmth and real soul
Bonnie Raitt Vicar Street ★★★★☆ 'Ireland in any weather is beautiful to me.' Bonnie Raitt is telling Vicar Street about the nine-day break she took here, surrounded by sheep, before playing Belfast on Sunday night. The rest surely did her good because she's in rare form tonight. She hits an early highlight with the rattling, barrelhouse groove of Thing Called Love, a song originally on John Hiatt's Bring The Family. That album featured the slide guitar of Ry Cooder but even he'd have to bow to Raitt's playing as she tosses off an effortless swamp porch solo, knife blade sharp and smooth as molasses, from the battered Stratocaster she apparently bought for $120 back in 1969. And she's got that voice to go with it. Take Mabel John's 1966 classic Your Good Thing (Is About To End). Raitt, brimming over with pleading soul, stretches out vowels, holds notes until her vibrato is on the verge of cracking, and when that voice has finally had enough of the uncaring man in the lyric, her slide guitar takes over to show him the door. An almost supernaturally intuitive interpreter of songs, Raitt delivers an achingly beautiful take on Richard Thompson's Dimming Of The Day, a called-for Angel Of Montgomery by John Prine ('Nobody cut through like John'), and twists Dylan's Million Miles inside out with a glint in her eye as she implores her baby to 'rock me for a couple of months'. Then she bests them all by bringing the house to its feet with the encore's I Can't Make You Love Me, a tale of broken love familiar to every knocked-about heart. READ MORE Raitt makes several bows to old friend Paul Brady , in the audience having the same good time as the rest of us. First she claims she's nervous with him watching, then declares it an honour. When asked to sit in he allegedly replied, 'You can't afford me,' but with the greatest respect to the man from Strabane, she doesn't need him as she commandeers his Not The Only One and Steal Your Heart Away, making them her own. Raitt calls her show 'a healing experience in this suffering, hard-assed world' and that's what it is But Raitt also knows how to write a song. Nick Of Time, the title track from the 1989 album that finally made her an overnight success 18 years after her debut, is one thing with its great lyric about getting on a bit ('Those lines are pretty hard to take when they're staring back at you'). Just Like That is something else entirely. To the surprise of many, including the other nominees and Raitt herself, she won the Grammy for Song Of The Year with it a few years back but the judges were right, for once. A woman who lost her son is visited by the man who lives on thanks to her child's transplanted heart. It's moving on record but it's devastating live. In that inexplicable way a song you've heard before can sneak back up on you, Raitt gets to the line where she lays her head on his chest and she's with her boy again and you're gutted by the lyric's power. 'They say Jesus brings you peace and grace, well he ain't found me yet,' has a similar effect. Raitt calls her show 'a healing experience in this suffering, hard-assed world' and that's what it is, whether she and her superlative four-piece band are transforming the room into a rambunctious roadhouse or a hushed confessional. A night of welcome warmth and real soul. There aren't many like her.
Irish Examiner
02-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
'Ireland gave me and Philip something to belong to': Caught in the spotlight of the Phil Lynott story
The boy is back in town. After a sell-out run at Vicar Street in April, the ghost of Phil Lynott returns to stages in Dublin and Limerick this week in Moonlight — a rock theatre extravaganza that explores Lynott's artistic genius and the early years of his time with Thin Lizzy in the late 1960s and early '70s. The actor Peter M Smith stars in the lead role. 'Philip jealously guarded his private life,' says Smith, 'which created a dichotomy for someone so public, someone who made a living from being in the public eye, having to sell his wares publicly. I remember feeling a tremendous sense of pride when I realised that because we shouldn't be judged on anything but our output.' Smith, who has been heralded for his performance incarnating Lynott, shares striking similarities with the Thin Lizzy frontman, both physically and in his background. Both grew up streets away from each other on Dublin's southside — Lynott in Crumlin, Smith in Drimnagh. Both were raised by single mothers and maternal grandparents, not knowing their fathers. 'When you're raised in our situation, your yearning is always to belong,' says Smith. 'Philip grabbed hold of his Irishness, as I do. No matter where I am in the world, I'm at pains to let people know how Irish I am, even above the fact that I'm black. I don't go around talking about [being black]. I've read books on black consciousness, like Steve Biko's books. I'm very much into black history, like the story of Frederick Douglass, but that's more for my private reading. My real passion is the fact I'm Irish. 'Ireland gave me and Philip something to belong to. He was fiercely patriotic and protective of all things Irish. That bore fruit in a lot of confrontations with journalists who weren't Irish and didn't understand the state of play, shall we say, in Ireland. I'm like that too. I'm quite spiky and defensive about my Irishness. I'm fiercely patriotic. I love being Irish because Ireland has given me something I'll always belong to.' Moonlight: The Philip Lynott Enigma Live at Vicar starring Eric Bell and Peter M Smith Lynott, who died in 1986 in hospital of septicaemia and pneumonia aged 36, was born to be a rock star. He walked down the street with a natural swagger. It could be said Smith was born to play Lynott. He has the acting chops. He has a background in music. In 2002, he was a finalist on Popstars: The Rivals (the series which gave the world Girls Aloud). Smith captures Lynott's spirit uncannily. He got the seal of approval from Lynott's late mother, Philomena, to reprise him on screen, as Smith was earmarked to play Lynott in biopic projects that Neil Jordan and Noel Pearson/Jim Sheridan tried to get off the ground. 'I had extensive discussions with Jim. When we met at auditions, he told everybody else to go home, and sent me into the next room, because there weren't many guys, certainly in their 30s, like me, having the same upbringing and attitude as Philip. I'm a rocker at heart. Jim operates on instinct. He knows his eggs from his eggs. 'So, we were close, but for one reason or another, those biopics didn't happen. Philip's kids were a little bit younger, and their mother didn't want a certain story told in a certain way. These things can happen but now seems to be the right time. Staying away from Philip's private life and looking more at what he's achieved as an artist seems to be doing the trick. 'Philomena was always on board because she wrote the book My Boy, and later an updated, more candid edition. The problem was never Philomena. She was quite the storyteller. Philip's wife wasn't ready to tell the story. 'I understand that. I have daughters. You would want your children to remember your songwriting and not any mistakes you may have made in your life.' Moonlight features an impressive supporting cast, including Brian Kennedy as Oscar Wilde's ghost and Thin Lizzy co-founder Eric Bell playing himself. Smith and his co-stars are accompanied by a live, four-piece band that rocks out Thin Lizzy hits as well as new, original music. 'Larry Hogan, the musical director, has done a great job in adapting the original music to make it sound seamlessly like Thin Lizzy,' says Smith. 'A lot of hardcore Thin Lizzy fans swore blind we were playing Thin Lizzy B-sides such was the faithfulness of the original music to Lizzy's sound. And those are the hardest people to please.' Moonlight: The Philip Lynott Enigma returns for four extra dates to Dublin's Vicar Street (June 20-22) and UCH Limerick (June 24) Read More Culture That Made Me: Music legend Brush Shiels picks his touchstones
