Wednesday Irish racing tips: Johnny Ward's five bets for the evening action

Optional claimers are a mystery to me and Sligo commences with one on Wednesday.

I am all for claimers and had reasonable success (at least by my ownership history metric) with Sbraase, claimed after winning over tonight’s course and distance to run for Gavin Cromwell and let go in the very same race a year later, which he won before joining Noel Kelly (for whom he won his next race).

Sbraase ran 15 times in my colours, winning three races and in the money ten times. I put him in for a low claiming price because I needed the money and it gave him a better chance of winning (he would carry a lower weight) – which makes these races different and more interesting than they should be given the standard of horse habitually involved.

The other beauty is the simplicity: the horse leaves for the races in one horse box and departs the races in another. You know exactly what he or she will cost before you make a bid, though if others bid for the horse you will probably not succeed.

Optional claimers though? They are hard to explain, but basically horses can run in it even though they are not in to be claimed (such horses will get the maximum weight allowed per age and sex). The risk of running a horse in a conventional claimer is him or her winning or running well and you losing the horse for a price that with hindsight seems low – that is one of the unique aspects of a claimer.

Why claimers are run where connections can participate for prize-money without any risk of losing the horse makes little sense to me. It may render the race a better quality, but what of those who are running a horse in a claimer with the risk of it being claimed, likely to be beaten by a horse who cannot be claimed?

For what it is worth, Glittering Gem, Shemiyka, Avec Grand Plaisir and Princess Rosie are all in tonight’s race but cannot be claimed. Connections are entitled to run these horses in an optional claimer – which is common in the States – but it’s not clear to me why these races exist. 

The feature Irish Stallion Farms EBF Connacht Oaks Fillies Handicap (6.00) has attracted three horses rated in the 90s but only six in all. A cracking punting card awaits.

I am not sure Spanish Temptress really gets this trip on easy ground and Eastern Peace is 5lb out of the weights.

Both are dangers to Thatwilldoso, who was such an uplifting win for Rory Cleary at Roscommon in the race in memory of brother Sean. Her Galway form is better, however, and she has no penalty, so she makes plenty of appeal.

How good is Dylan Browne McMonagle? He might give a measure of his quality on this colt as he has to race from gate eight, but it should be OK.

Bungle Inthejungle is a cheap sire, but he had high-class form on soft ground (a positive if conditions worsen here) and his previous matings with this horse’s dam produced a decent juvenile for Karl Burke, plus Sergeant Wilko, who had the 11th highest rating of any horse by Bungle Inthejungle.

More important than all of this is how absurdly eye-catching this horse was at Down Royal, when all but decapitated turning into the straight but still finishing third. Moreover, he is trained by Joseph O'Brien. What price will be too short here?

The six-furlong races here are unique and involve so much turning that you frequently get a few runners with almost no chance after only a furlong or two. It can also mean those who get a prominent position go too hard.

There are two horses here I am pretty certain are well-handicapped: She’s On The Ball and The Love Machine.

She’s On The Ball was an out-of-the-blue gamble at Limerick when shaping well and was far better than the result suggested at Fairyhouse. Robbie Colgan will feel he can win on anything at the moment.

The Love Machine is running off 49, yet won easily off 61 only last October when with Mick Mulvany. Mulvany raced him in a tongue tie for all his handicap runs, yet for some reason Seán Davis never has – until now.

His last run was pleasing enough and, if he does not strike tonight, keep him on side.

I tipped Canon Law who was as big as 33s the day before, so it was agony when Chicago Moon collared him late at Killarney, the runner-up getting a superb front-running ride from Rory Cleary that nearly paid off, with the hot favourite back in third.

“She gallops all day,” commented Billy Lee after the filly’s win, which essentially means she should be better over this trip, but it was a fine performance to grab Canon Law as nobody else could manage that on the night.

Lee added that Chicago Moon saves a bit for herself and, from gate one, she may need a bit of luck over an extended 13 furlongs here, but a 9lb rise for her win leaves her on a relatively modest mark. 

She is trained by Henry de Bromhead, by Sea The Moon and has already placed in a maiden, so I see loads of positives.

Canon Law takes on the selection again (from gate two) but is actually 4lb higher than he was at Killarney and stamina looks a concern. He can unwittingly set it up for Chicago Moon once more.