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Irish Daily Mirror
30-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Daily Mirror
Potential Galway Plate coup as local horse goes from 25/1 to 8/1
Galway has been buzzing all morning about a potential local coup in the Plate. Whispers recalling the exploits of meeting winners such Oh So Grumpy (1994), Ansar (2001), the legendary Caradak (2004), Sir Frederick (2007) and Blazing Tempo (2011) ran on the wind. As talk that Athenry's Paul Gilligan could be about join the list of those such as Jessica Harrington with Oh So Grumphy, Dermot Weld with Ansar and Willie Mullins with Blazing Tempo, who had landed sensational gambles at Ballybrit. The odds on Gilligan's eight-year-old Buddy One for the Galway Plate and who will be ridden by his son Jack were as a high as 25/1 just five days ago had come in as far 8/1. A high-class hurdler, the son of Sans Frontieres counts a win at Cheltenham's November meeting on his CV as well as two wins at Galway, including over the same distance as today's Galway Plate. As it stands, Paul Gilligan is no stranger to success at his local track, but a win in the €270,000 feature race of the seven-day meeting will be the biggest win in his and Buddy One's career. 'Buddy One has long been on our radar as one to keep an eye on in the Galway Plate and the support for this horse has been relentless," notes Brian O'Keeffe, spokesperson for Boyle Sports. "If father and son duo Paul and Jack Gilligan land this big pot, there will be tears of joy for a whole host of punters and tears of sorrow for a lot of us bookies.' Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email alerts.
Irish Daily Mirror
30-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Galway Races gamble sees locally trained horse's odds slashed for big race
A significant gamble is developing ahead of day three of the Galway Races. The Galway Plate is the feature contest at Ballybrit on Wednesday and BOYLE Sports report that Buddy One is their biggest liability in the race. The eight-year-old gelding has seen his odds cut to 7/1 (from 25/1) as punters bank on a local winner scooping the €162,000 first prize for trainer, Paul Gilligan. Gilligan, who is based in Athenry, is no stranger to success at his local meeting, but his stable star landing the Galway Plate would be his biggest career victory to date. Last year's Galway Hurdle winner Nurburgring is the 9/2 joint-favourite for Joseph O'Brien and Bronsan Racing as he bids to become just the third horse to do the Hurdle/Plate double with the JP McManus-owned Down Memory Lane also catching the eye of the oddsmakers at 9/2 having been as big as 7/1 earlier this week. Willie Mullins will field three of the 22 strong field, with Adamantly Chosen, the mount of Paul Townend, supported into 16/1 (from 25/1). Brian O'Keeffe, spokesperson for BOYLE Sports, said: 'It's a typically hot renewal of the Galway Plate and while Nurburgring and Down Memory Lane head the betting, it's a locally trained horse, Buddy One, that would bring tears of joy to the crowd in Ballybrit and tears of sorrow to the bookies.'
