The 10 golden rules of having a successful Galway Races

Irish Daily Mirror

a day ago

THE Galway Races is truly one of the most unique events on the Irish sporting calendar.
53 races over seven days it's a Mardi Gras or a 'sane madness' as once described and has been a fixture at the Ballybrit racetrack for 155 years.
The €270,000 Tote Galway Plate and Guinness Galway Hurdle are the main events on Wednesday and Thursday and around 125,000 punters are expected through the gates.
Many things have changed at Galway over the years, some for the better and some for the worse, but it remains a summer highlight and the quality of the racing has improved.
I've been going to the Galway Races for over 25 years, and here's my ten golden rules of having an enjoyable and indeed profitable week, whether you're a paying customer or a stay at home punter.
1 - Follow the smaller trainers that target Galway.
2016 was a significant year at the Galway races as champion jumps handler Willie Mullins achieved the then unthinkable by wrestling the leading trainers' prize away from Dermot Weld for the first time in over 20 years.
Since then Mullins has won the award every year but he doesn't win every race and there are many progressive yards who target this meeting and are worth following.
Ross O'Sullivan left last year with four winners from his six horses across the Festival and he'll have a strong team again with recent Tipperary winner Strong Link likely to go for a race on Thursday.
Other trainers with good recent records are Ado McGuinness, Emmet Mullins and Peter Fahey, who trained four winners at the meeting in 2022 and 2023.
2 - A wide draw in the flat races can be curtains
Galway is a sharp track with a relatively short uphill home straight and some horses drawn wide can nearly be ruled out of a race before it even begins.
A low draw is a massive positive for horses in the contests run over seven furlongs and a mile as it helps jockeys get a good early position at a track where being prominent is crucial.
The statistics show that winning from a high draw is tough to achieve. In the day two feature, the Colm Quinn Mile, last year's winner Mexicali Rose was drawn in stall one while the Corrib Stakes winner over 7f came from stall 5.
Horses can win by being drawn wide but you're at a disadvantage before the race begins.
3 - Huge priced winners have been common in recent years.
There are, incredibly, over fifty races over the seven days at the Galway Races and they won't all be won by the fancied horses.
Ladies Day punters went home stunned 12 months ago when Brave Crogha became the Festival's biggest priced winner ever when winning the Bumper at odds of 200-1.
It ended a five-year drought for local trainer Iggy Madden and was the longest priced bumper winner in Ireland or the UK since records began.
There were also two 50-1 winners. Sirius in the opening day feature and Bessie Abbot giving Wesley Joyce a welcome return to the venue where he almost lost his life. Racegoers attempt to shield themselves from the rain during The Galway Races Summer Festival (Image: Niall Carson/PA Wire)
4 - Horses for courses
Galway's undulations and twists and turns aren't for every horse and keeping an eye on animals with course form is a shrewd route to success.
Jesse Evans is a fascinating runner this week. Noel Meade's gelding has finished second twice in the Galway Hurdle and was fourth in 2021. He won a Beginners' Chase here last year and holds entries for both the Plate and Hurdle.
The Emmet Mullins-trained Teed Up has incredibly appeared eight times at Galway — winning three times and finishing second three times too. He's entered in the Boylesports Handicap Hurdle on Saturday.
Sylkie, trained by Danny Howard, has posted three career successes with all three coming at Ballybrit. One of those wins was at last year's Galway Festival, in an extended mile handicap, and Howard is hoping Sylkie can repeat the feat this year.
5 - Back the Mee-owned horses
It's no secret that horses owned by Galway natives, Pearse and Annette Mee, always demand close inspection at Galway.
Mee is a software engineer, whose fortune was estimated at €139 million by the Sunday Times Rich List in the past, and the couple adore Ballybrit like nowhere else.
Their green and purple silks have been in the winners' enclosure dozens of times in the past decade for trainers like Emmet and Willie Mullins and Henry de Bromhead.
As mentioned above Teed Up is a regular here while other Mee owned horses to watch for are Arctic Gale, Sea Music, Enfranchise and Toll Stone — who ran a very good race in the Greatwood Hurdle at Cheltenham in November.
6 - Pace your punting
Having a bet in all 53 races is definitely not recommended and some races are best left alone for punting purposes, the 7f Handicaps in particular.
Punters need to be disciplined and patient and not be afraid to change their mind due to changing ground conditions or stable form or the draw.
JP McManus' pre-Cheltenham advice is worth another look. He said: 'I have a more considered approach now. I used to have my mind made up about things. That's dangerous. When you have your mind made up, it means you can't change your mind. These days I would delay making a decision until one has to be made. A view of the crowds during the races (Image: ©INPHO/Tom Maher)
7 - Back Willie Mullins' runners in the Amateur Handicap on Monday
Willie Mullins has a special relationship with Galway, his uncle Luke was manager for many years and he rode plenty of winners there himself, including the Amateur Handicap 40 years ago on Pargan.
In more recent times he's dominated the opening night feature, winning it five times since 2017, interestingly with four different jockeys.
Not many could have predicted David Dundsdon winning at 50-1 last year but Too Bossy For us looks very interesting for Closutton this year.
The 330,000gns purchase was second on the flat at the Curragh on Derby weekend and was a useful hurdler last term, making the frame behind Lulamba at Punchestown and running well in the Triumph Hurdle at Cheltenham.
8 — Classy horses now win the Galway Plate
The Galway Plate is no longer a race for good summer jumpers. The days of horses like Sir Frederick winning off a mark of just 126 appear to be long gone.
A mammoth prize-fund of €270,000 has made the big boys send the heavy artillery and 2022 Plate hero Hewick went on to win a King George at Kempton
Balko Des Flos went on to capture the Grade 1 Ryanair Chase at Cheltenham.
Other recent winners like Carlingford Lough and Road To Riches went on to win big winter Grade 1 contests while 2016 Grand National winner Rule The World would have went very close in the 2015 Plate only for slipping up in the dip. Runners and riders during the 2023 Galway Hurdle (Image: ©INPHO/Tom Maher)
9 - Watch the weather....and the traffic
It may seem obvious but Galway's weather patterns are increasingly unpredictable.
It can go from summer sunshine to downpours in minutes and because the crowds are so big there's not much cover for punters who come unprepared. Bringing a brolly is the best tip anyone can get going to Ballybrit for the first time.
Traffic in Galway is also horrendous, even outside race week. So leaving early should be part of everyone's plan. Even those that have spent months preparing their outfits.
For those who can't afford a helicopter, the shuttle buses in and out of Eyre Square are a usually reliable service and much cheaper than a taxi.
10 - Go racing Monday or Tuesday night
The Monday and Tuesday night at Galway are two of the most enjoyable race meetings of the year and well worth checking out for any first time visitor.
They usually have a more gentle and relaxed atmosphere than the madness of Ladies Day or the Friday night and the crowd is usually a bit older.
There is a bit more room in some of Galways's great pubs like Tigh Neachtain or Taaffe's apres racing and there's time for a nice lie-in the next morning too.