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Irish 1-2 in G1 Boodles Anniversary 4-Y-O Hurdle at Aintree

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The 2026 Randox Grand National Festival got underway on Thursday afternoon with an Irish 1-2 in the opening Grade One Boodles Anniversary 4-Y-O Hurdle.

Mange Tout (Gordon Elliott/Jack Kennedy, 5-1) and Selma De Vary (Willie Mullins/Paul Townend, 9-4 favourite) fought out the finish if the two miles and one furlong contest, with the former prevailing by three-quarters of a length.

Successful trainer Gordon Elliott said of his filly:

“I thought he gave her a great ride. I thought winning or the losing of the race was done from the third-, fourth-last to the turn in. Jack had to ride to settle her – she was very keen at Leopardstown and he rode her to win rather than to settle her there, and it took its toll.

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“It was hard not taking her to Cheltenham, because you want as many bullets as you can have, but now Cheltenham’s over I’m glad we kept her for here. Just the flatter track would suit her and she’s just got a bit of boot. Jack said she didn’t do a stroke in front, she was very idle.

“We thought we’d have her out early in the season for Down Royal – she was very keen there, but she’s a nice mare and she’ll jump a fence as well in time. That will be her for the year now – she’s not the biggest girl in the world.”

Winning jockey Jack Kennedy told ITV Racing:

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“She was good. She can overrace a little bit, but I got a bit of cover on her today.

“She was still a bit keen but not as bad. She’s a big frame of a filly – she’s not small but she’s narrow, and I’d say bypassing Cheltenham helped.”

“She’ll definitely jump a fence and she probably has a bit of filling out to do, so she can be a nice mare.”

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Galatasaray vs Kocaelispor Prediction and Betting Tips

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Galatasaray look to take a step closer to a fourth consecutive league title when they host a weaker Kocaelispor at the Rams Park Stadyumu on Sunday in the 29th round of the 2025-26 Super Lig campaign. The Lions have remained atop the league table for almost the entirety of the league season and now need a couple more wins to finish the job.

Galatasaray suffered a disappointing loss to third-placed Trabzonspor last weekend, but returned to winning ways on Wednesday with a comfortable 3-1 win over Goztepe, retaining their four-point cushion above Fenerbahce and Karadeniz Fırtınası.

Okan Buruk’s side have clearly missed the presence of star striker Victor Osimhen, who is out injured with a broken arm, but will hope to continue their charge to match their own record for consecutive league titles (4).

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Kocaelispor, on the other hand, would have begun the season with the aim of securing survival in their first campaign back in the Turkish top flight since 2008-09, but have exceeded expectations, currently sitting in eighth place as they chase a top-half finish.

The visitors have only one win from their last six games following a goalless draw with Istanbul Basaksehir on Monday and will need to make major improvements when they visit a much better side.


Galatasaray vs Kocaelispor Head-to-Head and Key Numbers

  • The sides have met on 44 previous occasions going into the weekend. Galatasaray have won 27 of those games, and nine have ended in draws while Kocaelispor have won the remaining eight.
  • November’s meeting between the two teams marked the first edition of this fixture since the 2008-09 season and ended in a shock 1-0 win to Kocaelispor.
  • The hosts boast the best offensive and defensive records in the league this season, having scored 66 goals and conceded only 21 across 28 games played.
  • Kocaelispor hold the second-worst offensive record in the Turkish top flight this season, with only 23 goals scored after 28 games played.
  • The injured Victor Osimhen has contributed directly to 16 of Galatasaray’s 66 league goals this season in just 19 games.

Galatasaray vs Kocaelispor Prediction

With the odds strongly in favor of the Lions, Okan Buruk will be keen to see his side get revenge on the visitors after losing the reverse fixture and, hopefully, gain more ground in their title charge.

Körfez, meanwhile, can only hope to avoid a heavy defeat against a side with just two home league losses in the last four seasons.

Prediction: Galatasaray 3-1 Kocaelispor

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Galatasaray vs Kocaelispor Betting Tips

Tip 1 – Result: Galatasaray to win

Tip 2 – Goals- Over/under 2.5 – Over 2.5 goals (Four of the hosts’ last five games have produced more than 2.5 goals)

Tip 3 – Both teams to score: Yes