Mark Boylan on how to pick the winner of the Galway Hurdle

There is undoubtedly a magic about the Galway Hurdle, the joint-richest hurdle race in Ireland which has thrown up some memorable moments in its 106-year history.

Initially run over 1m4f for the first six years of its existence, the now 2m Guinness-sponsored handicap worth €300,000 is always well contested and last year went the way of Sharjah, who later that season won twice at Grade 1 level in the Morgiana Hurdle and Ryanair Hurdle.

As one of the most competitive prizes in the summer calendar, you may wonder what it takes to find the winner of the race.

Weight

Patrick and Willie Mullins were the toast of Ballybrit on ladies' day 12 months ago as topweight Sharjah led home a Closutton one-two, but it is worth remembering that last year's race was extremely condensed in terms of weight – just 11lb separated the top and bottom in the handicap.

Since 2000, only four horses have carried more than 10st 12lb on their way to winning – although two of those with higher weights have struck in the last three years.

Mullins' Grade 1-winning novice hurdler Quick Grabim will have to follow in the footsteps of his stablemate to defy top weight this year.

Rebel Fitz won the Grimes Hurdle and Galway Hurdle in the same yearCredit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

Preparation

Band Of Outlaws, the ante-post favourite for Thursday's main event, is taking the same road to Ballybrit as last year's winner. Band Of Outlaws placed second in the Grade 3 Grimes Hurdle at Tipperary this month, in which Sharjah finished third the previous year.

Popular 2012 winner Rebel Fitz did the Grimes and Galway Hurdle double for Mick Winters, although it is notable that four of the last six Galway Hurdle winners had their prep run on the Flat before taking landing the valuable pot.

Some notable entrants who ran on the Flat last time are Gordon Elliott's Chosen Mate, the John Joe Walsh-trained Davids Charm and Joseph O'Brien's Gardens Of Babylon.

Age and mileage

Some say age is just a number, but when it comes to the Galway Hurdle it has paid to be aged six or seven, with eight winners in the last decade falling into that age bracket.

Band Of Outlaws would be the first four-year-old since Perugino Diamond in 2000 to win the Hurdle.

Perugino Diamond (right) is the last four-year-old to win the Galway HurdleCredit: Caroline Norris (racingpost.com/photos)

In terms of experience, no horse with more than 14 runs over hurdles has won the race in the past decade. Five of the last ten winners were in single figures when it comes to runs over hurdles.

Riven Light, rated 110 on the Flat and just 139 over hurdles, has only had six runs in this sphere and may yet have more to offer.

Conclusion

There isn't any one blueprint that defines each Galway Hurdle winner, but a handy weight, being unexposed over hurdles and coming from the Flat in terms of a prep run appear positives.

With that in mind, it could be worth taking a chance on Galway-lover Riven Light for the trainer who provided the one-two in this race last year.

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