The Countdown to Ireland’s Largest Horse Racing
Festival has begun
On Monday 29th July, Galway Racecourse will stage its 150th Summer Festival.
For a century and a half, people from all over Ireland and abroad have been
coming to ‘Galway’ in their tens of thousands to enjoy the highly anticipated
annual seven-day Galway Races. This year plans are in place for what will be an
extra special year. Prizemoney has been boosted to a record-breaking level in
Galway to over €2.3 million, an increase of €250,000 on last year. With
fifty-two races over the seven days, each day offers a minimum prize fund of
€120,000 for the feature race, with a minimum value for any race at Galway
standing at €17,000.
Increased Prizemoney for thetote.com
Galway Plate to €300,000 and Two New Qualifying Races.
The hotly contested thetote.com Galway Plate on
Wednesday 31st July, a race synonymous with Galway and key to the history of the Festival, has received a significant increase
of €50,000 with the prize fund for the 150th running of this race now standing
at €300,000. President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins is once again expected to
present the Galway Plate to winning connections. Worth €300,000 in total prize
money, the race has produced some high-class recent winners including,
Carlingford Lough, Road To Riches and the 2017 winner Balko Des Flos to mention
a few.
Ticket Sales and Hospitality
The Galway Races contributes over €54 Million to the
local economy. Advance ticket sales have proved very strong, pacing ahead of
last year’s figures. To celebrate their 150th birthday and to thank their
customers for all their support over the years, Galway Races have a special
offer on general admission tickets with €5 off each ticket. Offer ends 5th July
so book now to avail of this birthday treat. Corporate hospitality once
again proves very popular at the Ballybrit venue, with the first five days now
sold out with active waiting lists and limited availably for the weekend.
GUINNESS Renews its Partnership with a
New Five-Year Deal
GUINNESS has today announced the renewal of its
partnership with the Galway Races. The sponsorship is set to continue for
another five years, making GUINNESS the the longest continuous sponsor of horse
racing in Ireland. Paddy Carberry, Sponsorship Manager at Diageo, said; “We are
delighted to continue our longstanding commitment to the Galway Races. GUINNESS
has been involved with the Galway Races for 54 years, it’s exciting to be here
for the 150th anniversary of the festival. We’re looking forward to another
brilliant racing festival this summer and seeing who comes in at the Guinness
Galway Hurdle”. GUINNESS sponsor the card at Galway on both the Thursday and
the Friday of the Summer Festival, with the hotly contested GUINNESS Galway
Hurdle Handicap race of €300,000 taking centre stage on Thursday 1st August
2019.
Reveal of a Commemorative Piece of
Sculpture
Irish artist John Behan, firmly established as a
sculptor of international stature, was last year commissioned by the Galway
Race Committee to design and produce a bespoke piece of life size art entitled
“Leading in the Winner” to celebrate the 150th mile stone at Ballybrit.
This piece will be revealed on the opening day of the Summer Festival and
will be a stunning new fixture at the racecourse located beside the parade
ring.
Commemorative Pin and Brochure
Racegoers this year will be treated to a
complimentary Galway Races 150th lapel pin and a commemorative brochure as a
memento to celebrate the year, a small gift from the Galway Race Committee to
thank all those that support that races now and over the years.
Country Music Day - Wednesday
With country music hugely popular throughout the
land, get your dancing shoes ready and join professional dancer Niall Doorhy
and friends on Wednesday at the Galway Races for some fun, dancing and lots of
entertainment. Stetsons at the ready!
Meet the Stars of The Turf
During racing on Tuesday and Friday, Kevin O’Ryan
will host a fun and engaging event on the main stage located behind the
Millennium Stand. Join Kevin as he chats to many well-known faces from horse
racing and the world of sport.
Largest Line up of Entertainment Yet!
This year, the team at Galway Races present to you
its biggest musical line up yet! They have over forty-seven live music
performances over the seven days of the Festival, including the Galway Girl
Dancers, Havana Club, The Conquerors, Bongo Steve, The Gamblers, DJ’ Ronan
Lardner plus lots more!
The Singer Song Writer Competition
Galway Racecourse together with Galway Bay fm
announced details of a new singer songwriter competition, where one lucky
winner will win €1,000 cash, perform live at Ireland’s Largest Horse Racing
Festival and gain huge publicity. Entry is now open. The competition is open to
all types of song, in any style – ballad, country, pop, rock etc. Commenting on
the competition, Michael Moloney General Manager of Galway Racecourse said, “Galway
and the West of Ireland is bursting with musical talent, all you have to do is
walk down Shop Street in the heart of Galway City on any given day and you’re
met with an array of fantastic musicians. We want to reward that talent and
what better time than our 150th birthday! We are now inviting all musicians/
singer songwriters to take part. We can’t wait to hear what you have in
store for us”.
Shop Window Competition
The Galway Races, in association with the Galway
Chamber and the Galway City Business Association have for the second year
organised the ‘Galway Races Shop Window Competition’ and are inviting
businesses across Galway City and County to take part. Businesses, no matter
what the size, could be in with a chance of winning an exclusive prize of a VIP
day at the races for your team worth €3,000, so enter the competition and join
in on the milestone celebrations of 150 years of Ireland’s largest horse racing
festival! Check out the Galway Races website for more information.
Opening Performance with the Galway
Tenors
On Monday, as the horses go to post for the first
race, racegoers will be treated to a special opening performance in the parade
ring by the Galway Tenors (Frank Naughton, Sean Costello and Alan Greaney) as
they perform arousing songs to officially open the 150th Galway Races Summer
Festival.
150 Years of Making Your Hair Stand on End
After 150 years, ‘Galway’ continues to do what it
has always done. It stirs the soul, makes our hearts beat that little bit
faster, brings us together as families and generations. It gives us an occasion
to celebrate. It has survived and thrived and is a race meeting like no other,
it creates a feeling like no other. The style, the entertainment, the sense of
history and all the thrills of top-quality racing. Thinking about it is enough
to give you goose-bumps. Or, in other words, it’s enough to make your hair
stand on end! For more information and to book tickets to this Summer’s
150th Galway Races visit galwayraces.com.
