Racing: The metropolitan style starting stalls will be used for the first time at next week's Galway festival. Three sets of stalls from Navan and one set from Leopardstown have been moved to Galway and were successfully tested at the track on Monday.

The new Italian starting stalls that were introduced in June have been out of commission since a series of problems that resulted in them being independently tested.

The older New Zealand stalls that have been used in Galway in recent years were at the centre of controversy at Ballybrit in 2003 when some gates didn't open properly. Two sets of Navan stalls with 12 bays and one five-bay set will operate at Galway along with Leopardstown's 10-bay set.

Only four racecourses in Ireland have their own sets of starting stalls, Leopardstown, the Curragh, Naas and Navan.

Pat Smullen has been installed as an 8 to 11 favourite to be the leading flat jockey at next week's Galway festival. Dermot Weld's stable jockey is clear of Michael Kinane in the betting with Paddy Power but it is much closer in the jump jockeys' race with Ruby Walsh and Barry Geraghty sharing favouritism at 7 to 4.

BETTING (Paddy Power): 8-11 Pat Smullen, 100-30 Michael Kinane, 13-2 Declan McDonogh, 7 Kevin Manning, 12 Seamus Heffernan, 16 Bar. Jumps: 7-4 Ruby Walsh and Barry Geraghty, 4 Paul Carberry, 10 Tony McCoy, 12 Jim Culloty and Timmy Murphy, 25 Bar.

Tony McCoy had a short-priced treble at Uttoxeter yesterday. The nine-times champion was successful on his first ride of the day when partnering Stage By Stage to victory in the Sharp Minds Betfair Handicap Hurdle. The 30-year-old's later wins came courtesy of his new boss Jonjo O'Neill on the 1 to 2 shot Young American and 4 to 5 chance Iris's Prince.