SAMCRO WILL HAVE to defy top weight if he is to win the tote Galway Plate.

The nine-year-old is a dual Cheltenham Festival winner, but consistency has not been his strong point over the last two years.

Winner of a Grade Three at Killarney in May, he failed to back that up at Listowel next time out.

Samcro’s weight will be eased slightly on Wednesday – because he will be ridden by Jordan Gainford, who can claim 5lb.

His trainer Denise Foster also runs Battleoverdoyen.

Willie Mullins is well represented in the famous handicap by Easy Game (Bryan Cooper), Brahma Bull (Jack Foley), Royal Rendezvous (Paul Townend), Annamix (Patrick Mullins), Livelovelaugh (Sean O’Keeffe) and Koshari (Brian Hayes).

Owner JP McManus has five runners – Emmet Mullins’ versatile eight-year-old The Shunter, Joseph O’Brien’s Darasso and Top Moon, Off You Go, now in the care of Cathal Byrnes, and Enda Bolger’s Modus, formerly trained by Paul Nicholls.

McManus also has two of the three reserves, A Wave Of The Sea and Everlastingpromise.

The last horse to make the current cut in the field of 22 was Henry de Bromhead’s Somptueux. De Bromhead also runs Visioman.