Hot to Trot: Mullins impresses with Galway form

Flat Trainer: Paul Cole

Paul Cole is on the five-winner mark so far in July, and has had a further 12 horses make the frame. Three of those winners were three-year-olds, with the likes of Baron Bolt, Against The Odds (who is in again at Chepstow on Sunday) and Brave Archibald obliging in handicaps this month, and Cole has a couple of interesting three-year-olds entered in the coming days. The first to mention is Cliffhanger, a 78,000-guinea yearling purchase who broke her maiden tag on her third start in June and has had excuses on her first two starts in handicaps, having no room at Newmarket and then being poorly placed at Lingfield (would have also benefitted from a stronger gallop). She is entered in a handicap against older horses on Saturday evening at Lingfield (at 20:00) in a race where there appears to be plenty of pace on, while she also has an option at Kempton on Wednesday next week. Another three-year-old that Cole has entered, Honiara, will probably be more interesting if he swerves his option on Monday at Windsor and instead takes up his entry at Kempton on Wednesday, given that he has shown his best form to date on polytrack at both Deauville and Chantilly (his form reads 221 on that surface and he has yet to show much in five starts on turf).

Jumps Trainer: Willie Mullins

It is no surprise to see Willie Mullins carrying the ‘trainer in form’ Timeform Flag next to his name on Timeform Race Cards. Ireland’s champion trainer rarely goes through quiet spells and saddles winners consistently throughout the year at nearly every level of race possible. However, his form at the Galway Festival so far has been truly remarkable, even for his standards. Before racing started on Friday, Mullins has saddled a total of 13 runners at the Galway Festival, and only two have finished out of the frame (the first four places). As well as saddling the Galway Hurdle winner Clondaw Warrior, Mullins has also had success with the likes of Muthaza, Penhill and Bel Sas, and for all the bookmakers are likely to be conservative in pricing his runners (who can blame them), those winners returned at prices of 9/2, 1/6, 8/1 and 6/4, while he has also had horses place at SPs of up to 16/1. As well as the likes of hat-trick seeking Westerner Lady and Galway Plate second Alelchi Inois to come during the remaining days of the Galway Festival, Mullins has the likes of Simenon – the former Ascot Gold Cup second – topping the Timeform ratings in a three-mile hurdle at Cork on Monday to look out for.

Under the radar: David Loughnane

David Loughnane, now training from Roger Fell’s yard in North Yorkshire, is enjoying a fruitful first season since taking out a license, saddling 10 winners so far. He has had plenty go close in recent weeks, too, with the likes of No Refund, Qortaaj, Lozah and Muntadab all beaten into second by a length or less in the last ten days. Despite a high number of close calls though, the likes of Seamster and Fuwairt have won for Loughnane recently, and the latetr in particular could be one to watch out for next week. Fuwairt, a 320,000-guinea purchase for Al Shaqab Racing at two, started life with Richard Hannon, but after his two-year-old season (where he won a nursery off 86) he was shipped to France to act as a pacemaker for higher profile horses owned by Al Shaqab. Fuwairt had his first start for David Loughnane as a four-year-old in April, and after a few near misses at the likes of Redcar (second) he got off the mark at Chelmsford earlier this month on his first start on an all-weather surface. He is entered at Chelmsford again on Tuesday next week, this time over a mile, and will be of plenty of interest provided there is enough pace in the race for him (usually held up off the gallop).