6:05 – Galway – ARDILAUN HOTEL OYSTER STAKES (LISTED RACE) (3yo+) Yielding To Soft 1m4f
Midnight Music stepped up in class from an amateur handicap race to a Listed race on her last start and acquitted herself well by finishing 3rd at a distance which was probably short of her best. The 4 year old chestnut filly runs at Listed level again this evening but over a more suitable trip and if she is able to perform to a similar level as her last race could prove difficult to beat.
Midnight Music is lightly raced for a 4 year old and will be having only her 13th career start this evening. She has got a very decent strike rate with four wins and four placed efforts from her twelve runs. She is back up in trip to 1 mile 4 furlongs today and at two runs over the distance she has won once and been placed once. She has also shown that she acts on the Galway track as she won her two starts back in a 19 runner amateur handicap over 2 miles.
The going this evening is Yielding to Soft and as she has won in Good, Yielding and Heavy ground will not find the underfoot conditions inconveniencing her. She also appears to enjoy running at this time in the season as in two previous runs in September she has won once.
She is being ridden by the excellent Pat Smullen who has ridden her on 10 of her 12 career starts and has won on her 3 times. Pat has ridden 70 winners in Ireland this season and is only 4 winners behind the current leader, Joseph O’Brien at the top of the jockey’s championship. He also has an excellent winning strike rate of 28% when riding at Galway with 36 winners from 130 runners at the track over the last 5 seasons.
Midnight Music ran really well on her first try at Listed level last month. The form of the race is working out very well with the 2nd placed horse winning at Listed level since and the 4th placed horse, who finished 6 lengths behind Midnight Music winning at Group 3 level last week. Given that her yard are in very good form and that she is running over a more suitable trip which will bring her stamina more into play, she could prove very difficult to beat this evening given her current form.
