18:11 Galway

Ireland

WTW Willis Handicap Hurdle (Div II)

2m6½f · Hurdle · Yielding · 19 runners · €6,000 · Monday, 7 September 2026

Result

Race report

AI top pick finished 11th

1st
Grace Faraday (IRE)
James Smith·Anthony McCann
18/1·19.00
SP
2nd
Midleton Rare (IRE)
Ms E Dunseath·Noel C Kelly·beaten 4.5 lengths
40/1·41.00
SP
3rd
Strong Contender (IRE)
Conor Smithers·Norman Lee·beaten 8 lengths
11/2·6.50
SP

Race time

6m 6.70s

Race time recorded.

In-running (Grace Faraday (IRE))

“Settled towards back of pack - stumbled early - made progress before 3rd - up to 4th after 7th - moved into contention to lead before 2 out - opened up advantage before last - drifted left but stayed on strongly to win”

AI top-rated Poetic Focus (score 60.8) finished 11th.

Settled · 1pt level stake = 3.50 pt return on the winnerTipping P&L →

Furlong's verdict

Reading the form…

AI-written, grounded in our data on this race. May be wrong. Verify before staking. Opinion, not advice.

Pundit corner

Racing Post · third-party

Pundit pick: L'As de Watt

L'As de Watt heads this competitive 22-runner Galway contest on a rating two pounds clear of Journey So Far, who represents the most obvious danger alongside the dangers Phoenix Cowboy and Simpletwistoffaith, both of whom rate a fair bit below the front pair on our figures and are asked to find more against the selection. The going description of good to soft over this extended trip should present no issues, and with a high-confidence case built on the form figures, L'As de Watt is selected to justify that narrow but meaningful edge at the head of the weights and come out on top.

Editorial from Racing Post analysts via the Racing API — not generated by Racing Alpha. Formbook forecast prices are estimates, not market prices.

Why the model rates this top

Poetic Focus

Danny Gilligan · Andrew Slattery · 6yo

Top-rated of 23

score 60.8 · +6.7 clear of next best (54.1)

Scores compare runners within this race only

The Racing Alpha rating combines four signals. Below is the breakdown — components driving this pick first.

Freshness10% weight
100very strong
28d since last run (race-fit window)
Trainer20% weight
75strong
Andrew Slattery: 7/23 winners last 14d (30%)
Ratings50% weight
58average
OR 87
Form20% weight
34weak
Last 6: 0-7-5-0-2

MarketBest price 101.00 (LiveScore Bet) · 13th in the market of 23.

v1.3 rating — a field-relative score, not a win probability; for market-derived value see the Fair column in the runners table. Weights and method on /about. Tips are opinions, not advice.

Runners · sorted by finishing position

Pos	No.	Horse	Form	Wt	OR	RPR	TS	AI	SP
1	7	Grace Faraday J: James Smith(5) · T: Anthony McCann · draw 0 8yo · M · chh	1456U	11-04	90	—	—	41.3	18/1·19.00 SP
2	3	Midleton Rare J: Ms E Dunseath(7) · T: Noel C Kelly · draw 0 8yo · G · btp	41P90	11-13	99	—	—	45.1	40/1·41.00 SP
3	5	Strong Contender J: Conor Smithers(7) · T: Norman Lee · draw 0 5yo · M · gtFT T	07811	11-08	94	—	—	54.1	11/2·6.50 SP
4	17	Gortmore Lady J: Kevin Healy(7) · T: Ciaran Murphy · draw 0 6yo · M · bp	B9375	10-06	78	—	—	45.4	7/1·8.00 SP
5	14	Love Like This J: Brian Barry(7) · T: John Patrick Ryan · draw 0 8yo · M · b	430407	10-11	83	—	—	47.8	33/1·34.00 SP
6	1	Journey So Far J: Keith Donoghue · T: Gavin Cromwell · draw 0 6yo · G · ch	78619	12-00	100	—	—	50.3	13/2·7.50 SP
7	18	Tawny Lea J: Philip Byrnes · T: Thomas Coyle · draw 0 6yo · M · g	08R05	10-06	78	—	—	38.3	14/1·15.00 SP
8	22	Phoenix Cowboy J: Darragh O'Keeffe · T: M Winters · draw 0 9yo · G · b	5360	11-04	90	—	—	46.7	33/1·34.00 SP
9	19	Dark Berkshire J: Conor Clarke(7) · T: P J Rothwell · draw 0 6yo · G · bp	7P036	10-03	75	—	—	42.2	12/1·13.00 SP
10	10	Agent Tequila J: Alex Harvey · T: John C McConnell · draw 0 8yo · G · bt	090P	10-12	84	—	—	41.7	28/1·29.00 SP
11	9	Poetic Focus J: Danny Gilligan · T: Andrew Slattery · draw 0 6yo · M · bt	07502	11-01	87	—	—	60.8	7/2F·4.50 SP
12	15	Tantrum Boy J: Phillip Enright · T: Brian M McMahon · draw 0 6yo · G · br	08442	10-08	80	—	—	43.3	4/1·5.00 SP
PU	2	L'As de Watt J: Sean Flanagan · T: Philip Fenton · draw 0 5yo · G · bt	25083	11-13	99	—	—	49.4	16/1·17.00 SP
PU	4	Drumconnor Hill J: Jordan Gainford · T: Cian Collins · draw 0 5yo · G · b	28470	11-11	97	—	—	44.7	20/1·21.00 SP
F	6	Hey Babbs J: Eoghan Finegan(5) · T: Dermot A McLoughlin · draw 0 6yo · M · btpFT TP	P5P03	11-07	93	—	—	42.3	16/1·17.00 SP
PU	8	The Vegas Raider J: Daniel King · T: K A Heffernan · draw 0 8yo · G · grtv	20U0F	11-02	88	—	—	40.4	40/1·41.00 SP
PU	11	Itaintmebabe J: Josh Williamson(3) · T: Gordon Elliott · draw 0 7yo · G · b	1750P	10-12	84	—	—	42.4	33/1·34.00 SP
PU	13	Coppola J: Sam Ewing · T: Gordon Elliott · draw 0 7yo · M · bp	22PPU	10-11	83	—	—	42.3	22/1·23.00 SP
PU	16	Vangaway J: Richard Deegan · T: M A Gunn · draw 0 5yo · M · brpFT P	0006	10-07	79	—	—	44.4	80/1·81.00 SP
—	—	Il Silenzio J: · T: Martin Brassil · draw 0 9yo · G · btp	3P141	11-01	87	—	—	51.4	—
—	—	Max Time J: Liam Quinlan · T: I Madden · draw 0 9yo · G · bt	PP04P6	10-00	72	—	—	46.9	—
—	—	Three By Two J: J J Slevin · T: Denis Paul Murphy · draw 0 10yo · M · btp	P0476	10-12	84	—	—	46.4	—
—	—	Simpletwistoffaith J: · T: John F O'Neill · draw 0 9yo · G · b	PP69	10-12	84	—	—	49.7	—

OR = official rating · AI = model score (0–100) · form reads oldest → latest

Frequently asked questions

Who won the 18:11 Galway on 7 September 2026?

Grace Faraday (IRE) won the 18:11 Galway at SP 19.00. Ridden by James Smith. Trained by Anthony McCann.

Did the Racing Alpha AI tip win the 18:11 Galway?

No — the AI top pick (Poetic Focus) finished 11.

What were the placings in the 18:11 Galway?

Top finishers: 1. Grace Faraday (IRE) (19.00), 2. Midleton Rare (IRE) (41.00), 3. Strong Contender (IRE) (6.50).

What was the winning time for the 18:11 Galway?

The winning time was 6m 6.70s.

Best price shown is the highest decimal price across bookmakers we track. Odds update every few minutes; settle at SP if unavailable. 18+ only · Bet responsibly · BeGambleAware.org