We’ve got some great insight from racing legend Robbie Power on the Galway Festival this week, courtesy of our friends at Boylesports Racing
You’ve not been racing if you haven’t been to Galway, it’s the pinnacle of summer
Galway is the pinnacle of the summer. You haven’t been racing if you haven’t been to Galway.
To win the Galway Hurdle or the Galway Plate was probably one of my first big successes that kick-started my career. They’re both unique races to win and it’s very, very difficult to win both of them. I don’t think even Barry Geraghty has won a Galway Plate before.
It’s a bit like Cheltenham in the sense that you can have a bad season and a couple of winners at Cheltenham and it’d be considered a good season.
Galway Racecourse,
Ballybrit
Galway
Ireland
Galway Racecourse
Put simply, the Galway festival is Ireland’s biggest annual sporting event. Much like the Melbourne Cup does in Australia, the Galway Festival brings the west coast and much of the country to a standstill as people flock to Ballybrit in search of experiencing something truly unique to Ireland. Galway races are evident all year round, but the seven day extravaganza which begins at the end of July, trumps the other meetings at not only Galway, but pretty much everywhere else in the country. The track itself is more or less rectangular in shape and is a sharp, right-handed course with a two furlong uphill finish. The Galway Hurdle is the biggest race at the festival is worth 260,000 Euro to the winner, although the Galway Plate isn’t far behind in terms of stature. Galway is a course to enjoy at any time but for the festival just take a day or two off – pull a sickie, do what you must, but at some stage you must go to Galway to experience the truly outstanding festival.
If you get a couple of winners at Galway then all of a sudden you’re having a great summer. Galway has more of a party atmosphere than Cheltenham and with crowds coming back after so long away, it’s going to be an unbelievable atmosphere this year.
If I could ride any horse at the Galway Festival, it’d be Santa Rossa – she’ll run a big race
If I had a free hand to ride any horse in the Galway Hurdle, it’d be Santa Rossa. I’ve won aboard her before and she has good stamina and good pace. She ticks a lot of boxes for Galway and I can see her running a big race.
Galway Festival is ‘party week’ for all involved
I was lucky that I rode pre-breathalyser test for jockeys because Galway was always the party week and we had some serious craic back in the days of ‘04, ‘05, ‘07 and those days.
You’d always have a great time in Galway but then breathalysers came in and your lifestyle had to change so for the last ten years of my career I stayed outside of Galway to save temptation – I used to drive in and out [of Galway] every day instead of staying there all week.
Mix of flat and jumps racing gives Irish racing the edge over England
It’s more unique now than when I started because nowadays it’s usually either one or the other and the flat and jump jockeys will be sharing a weighing room which is totally different to ten years ago.
There’s always great banter between both sets of jockey’s and it’s unique now because mixed cards are normally a thing of the past.
“Galway has more of a party atmosphere than Cheltenham and with crowds coming back after so long away, it’s going to be an unbelievable atmosphere this year“
Robbie Power
It gives Irish racing the edge as it’s an opportunity to get jumps and flat punters all at the same meeting.
Willie Mullins will come out on top for third year running
Dermot Weld was successful at Galway for a number of years, but I don’t think he has the same strength in depth as he used to five or six years ago. Whereas Willie Mullins has been leading trainer there for the last couple of years and has a huge team so I think Willie Mullins is most likely to be leading trainer again.
Winning the Galway Hurdle in 2019 gave me one of the best feelings of my life
I always got a huge buzz from winning races wherever they were. Winning the Galway Hurdle on Tudor City in 2019 gave me one of the best feelings of my life because of the way I had to ride him and because Galway is a unique track so that gave me an unbelievable thrill.
Winning the Hurdle or Plate are two of the biggest races you can win in Ireland and they give you huge satisfaction.
I’m going to miss riding at Galway this year, the atmosphere is unique
I’m going to enjoy and miss the Galway Festival at the same time this year. Galway is the next best festival after Punchestown and it’ll be the first time that I miss not riding because the buzz and atmosphere in Galway is unique and I used to love riding there.
Of course I’m going to enjoy it a lot more and there’s no better city to enjoy than Galway. There are so many spots during raceweek to enjoy. I can enjoy the restaurants and also Monroe’s pub in Galway is a big racing pub so there’ll be a great atmosphere in there as well. I’ll definitely be there a couple of evenings during the week.
The Galway atmosphere is one of the best in racing and it’s on par with Cheltenham
The atmosphere at Galway is up there as one of the best in racing. The reception a horse gets, especially after winning at Galway, is on the same level as Cheltenham.
Galway is a festival where a smaller team can have a big day. When you come back in on a fancied horse at Galway, the reception you get when walking from the parade ring to the winners’ enclosure is as good as anywhere – it’s unbelievable.
It’s going to be an unbelievable atmosphere. We had it at Cheltenham with the return of the crowds, the Dublin Racing Festival and Galway will be no different, if not even bigger because the crowds will be massive and it’ll be a huge atmosphere.
Billy Lee and Shane Foley will lead the way on flat, while I expect Jack Kennedy to dominate over fences
On the flat, probably Billy Lee or Shane Foley and then on the jumps, Jack Kennedy has had a fantastic start to the season and Gordon Elliott will have a lot of runners so I’d say Jack would be a good bet over jumps.
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