Road to Cheltenham previews the Galway Plate and picks out his favourite betting angles.
Galway PlateSee All Odds
Declarations are in for the 2026 Galway Plate and a full field of 22 runners will go to post for Wednesday’s feature. Here, I look through some of the leading contenders ahead of what should be a thrilling renewal.
Galway Plate Odds
Galway Plate Runners & Analysis
Willie Mullins declared five for this year’s race and FUNICULI FUNICULA is the choice of Paul Townend. He was highly tried as a novice hurdler but has been given a quieter campaign over fences, stepping up to win a Listed novice handicap chase at the 2026 Punchestown Festival in May.
He is clearly a horse that relishes a nicer surface and he is unexposed over the trip – and all signs point to a positive run. Does he have juice in his mark of 149? Only time will tell but Townend certainly sounded hopeful enough in a Racing TV interview on Monday. He has obvious claims if he copes with Galway’s unique test.
NOWWHATDOUTHINK caught the eye when finishing third in the Grade 1 3m1f Novice Chase at the Punchestown Festival and he was less than 10 lengths behind the 156-rated Western Fold that day. He is making his debut for the Gordon Elliott yard and Jack Kennedy has opted to ride him over his stablemates.
He has some solid form in the book and it wouldn’t be a huge surprise if he was to end the campaign on a much higher mark than 142. Chasing is his forte and he is a hugely exciting prospect for these sorts of races going forward – Elliott has won the Plate in five of the last 10 years so he knows exactly what it takes to prevail.
Gavin Cromwell has decided to roll the dice with WILL THE WISE and the 2026 Topham Chase winner could still be on the up. He has invaluable course experience to his name and we know he handles the track, which is a huge plus and Keith Donoghue will look to be right up there with the pace throughout the race.
It paid to be prominent on Monday evening and Galway often rides like this, which suits a horse like Will The Wise. He ticks plenty of boxes, the niggling doubt is whether he can cope with the rise to a mark of 148. If so, he is a huge danger and 10/1 each way to finish in the first five is an appealing price.
DOWNMEXICOWAY has had plenty of chances now, as has BALLYGUNNER CASTLE and I’d be inclined to look further down the betting. The former was previously owned by Basil Holian but runs in new colours on Wednesday while Ballygunner Castle has been frustrating enough, with connections unsure over his best trip and conditions.
At the prices, I’d prefer to consider the evergreen JESSE EVANS. A real consistent type, Noel Meade is an excellent target trainer and he warmed up for this race with a solid display at Listowel in June. He missed an intended engagement earlier this month but that wouldn’t worry me too much.
Could we see Danny Gilligan get a tune out of MAXXUM? He’s a huge price at 40/1 and it is easy to forget that he’s relatively unexposed over fences. While he’s raced 35 times under rules, just six of those have come over the bigger obstacles and he’s an intriguing runner to say the least.
Gilligan has piloted the winner in two of the last three renewals and he was half a length away from a clean sweep when Duffle Coat finished a gallant second in 2024. As a local boy, he knows Galway like the back of his hand and his knowledge of the course should give his mount the best possible chance of placing.
Galways Plate Tips
Nowwhatdoyouthink – 8/1, Win
Will The Wise – 10/1 Each Way, 5 Places
Maxxum – 40/1 Each Way, 5 Places
