Ahonoora Handicap

The Ahonoora Handicap is one of the most competitive events at the Galway Summer Festival.

It is for three-year-olds and upwards over seven furlongs. Ado McGuinness trained Current Option to lift this valuable prize for three successive seasons from 2020 to 2022.

This continued the trend in its recent history for repeat winners after Brian Ellison’s Baraweez (2014, 2015) and Dream Walker (2016, 2017).

Find out more about the Ahonoora Handicap:

Race Overview

The Ahonoora Handicap is a major handicap race hosted at Galway Racecourse in Ireland. The race is over seven furlongs long and is open to horses aged three and up and is held every year in late July or early August.

Check out our guides to all the other Irish Premier Handicap horse races.

Ahonoora Handicap Odds 2023

Here are the latest odds for the Ahonoora Handicap in 2023

• There is no open book of odds in the ante-post market for this event yet

Ahonoora Handicap Tips

Here are some tips for Ahonoora Handicap in 2023:

• 2 points to win on TBC
• 1 point each way on TBC

Many of the horses that run in the Ahonoora Handicap will go on to participate in other races during the year. Stay updated on the races and place your ante-post bets after seeing how the horses do.

Ahonoora Handicap Previous Result

Current Option is a @Galway_Races legend! 😍@adomcguinness1's inmate wins the @IrishEBF_ "Ahonoora" Handicap @Galway_Races for a record-breaking THIRD time on the spin!@thoroughbredsuk | @cianmac01 pic.twitter.com/MiAEqj9ziB

— Racing TV (@RacingTV) July 31, 2022

Famous Ahonoora Handicap Winners

The Ahonoora Handicap is one of the most valuable seven furlong handicaps of the season in Ireland. It currently takes place on the final day of the Galway Festival in late July or early August. Despite the competitive nature of the event, two trainers have managed to dominate the race in recent years.

British raiders are usually notable by their absence at the Galway Summer Festival. Brian Ellison bucked this trend in spectacular style by winning the Ahonoora Handicap for four successive seasons between 2014 and 2017.

Baraweez won as the joint-favourite in 2014 before following up as the heavily-backed 7-4 favourite the following season. Ellison then produced Dream Walker to land back-to-back victories in 2016 and 2017, ridden on both occasions by Chris Hayes.

Those achievements were eclipsed by the remarkable Current Option, trained by Ado McGuinness to win three successive Ahonoora Handicaps from 2020 to 2022. The gelding had contested the valuable BMW Mile Handicap at Galway just a few days earlier prior to each victory. The son of Camelot took his career earnings to over £340,000 with his latest victory.

Key Ahonoora Handicap Trials

Current Option used the Colm Quinn BMW Mile Handicap as a stepping-stone to his victory in 2020, 2021 and 2022. He finished fourteenth, seventh and fourth, on two occasions the race going to a stable companion with Saltonstall (2020) and Sirjack Thomas (2021).

Dream Walker followed exactly the same route in 2017 and was also third earlier in the week at Galway in 2016. Baraweez also contested the valuable mile handicap prior to both of his victories, finishing third in 2014 and runner-up in 2015.

Ahonoora Handicap Betting Trends

Although the repeat winners have been clearly sign-posted by their performances earlier in the week, only Baraweez (2014, 2015) started joint-favourite and clear favourite in the last ten years. Dream Walker (2016, 2017) returned a well-supported 7-1 for both of his victories while Current Option (2020, 2021, 2022) started at 15-2, 5-1 and 11-2. The only shock result in recent years was the success of Laughifuwant at 20-1 for Gerard Keane and Seamie Heffernan in 2019.

There does not appear to be any age bias for the Ahonoora Handicap with horses winning from the ages of four through to eight (Dream Walker in 2017). The official rating of the winner has varied between 91 (Northern Rocked 2013) and 111 (Current Option 2021).

Ahonoora Handicap – Top Trainers and Jockeys

Ado McGuinness and Brian Ellison have outstanding records in the Ahonoora Handicap, winning seven of the last ten renewals between them. Ellison has not won the race since Dream Walker’s second success in 2017 but John Quinn made it five in a row for British trainers when saddling Safe Voyage in 2018. McGuinness will certainly continue to target this valuable prize.

Chris Hayes was in the saddle for both of Dream Walker’s victories while apprentice Cian MacRedmond rode Current Option in 2021 and 2022. He was partnered by Gavin Ryan for his first victory in 2020.

Betting on the Ahonoora Handicap

The Ahonoora Handicap is clearly a race which suits course specialists and Current Option has made it his own in recent years. He, like previous dual winners Baraweez and Dream Walker, ran in the BMW Mile earlier in the meeting and that looks the obvious place to look for clues.

Summary of Ahonoora Handicap

We hope you have enjoyed our guide to the Ahoonoora Handicap.

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