CLARE GLEN and Séamus Heffernan could be the combination to side with in the featured Guinness Handicap as the Galway Festival moves on to its fifth day.

A versatile mare in terms of ground preference, Clare Glen has done enough this season to indicate that a good handicap lies within her reach. At the Curragh early last month she produced quite an impressive performance from the front in a useful fillies event over this trip.

That display earned her a 10lb hike in the weights, but she showed she was still more than competitive off her new mark when finishing a creditable fourth in the Ulster Derby last time.

This is a more competitive event, but Clare Glen has quite a reasonable draw. She gets the vote ahead of Little Arrows, who tries this trip for the first time but looks as though he needs this type of distance to be seen at his best nowadays.

Eddie Harty has already been on the mark this week and he could strike again with Carrigmartin, who bids to defy topweight in the Galway Blazers Handicap Chase.

He finished down the field in a handicap hurdle at Sligo last time but he is much better judged on his previous outing at Punchestown in May when he landed quite a decent handicap chase.

In second that day was Wise Old Owl, who has since boosted the form with an excellent showing in Wednesday’s Galway Plate.

Carrigmartin has progressed especially well since switching to fences and he looks capable of defying an 8lb rise for that Punchestown victory.

Dermot Weld looks to have several strong chances once more and his Harangue is the choice in the mile-and-a-half maiden. He showed enough on his debut at the Curragh recently to suggest a race such as this is within his reach.

The trainer’s Along Came Casey hasn’t shown a great deal so far but is very well drawn in the extended mile handicap and it could be worth taking a chance on.

In the two-year-old maiden, Catamount looks as though she will be hard to beat. She has filled the runner-up spot on her two starts to date and that form puts her some way in advance of her rivals, which are headed by Makalali, the pick of Tommy Stack’s three runners.

The evening concludes with quite an interesting conditions race in which Fleur de Nuit is put forward to turn over the talented Address Unknown. She is taking a major rise in class but won a Ballinrobe maiden last month in the manner of a classy filly.

Tuesday’s winner Rainforest Magic has an obvious chance in the opener, but a second-place finish in his last run at Cork earns Rockyaboya the vote.