Another important race not to miss
is the August 1 running of the Galway
Plate. It is the pinnacle race of the
summer jumps card in Ireland with many
of Ireland's best priming horses through
the year for the date. It will be the 149th
running of The Plate this year and the
race also holds the record for its last two
fences, situated three furlongs from the
finish, being the closest fences together
of any racecourse in the world.
For flat racing enthusiasts there are
plenty of interesting maiden and handicap
races scattered throughout the week.
While we can't guarantee there won't be
rain, we can almost guarantee that top
County Kildare-based trainer Dermot
Weld will have a winner at the meet. He
was hailed as "The Wizard" in Australia
when he brought Vintage Crop to the
Melbourne Cup, but at the Galway Races
he is known as "The King of Ballybrit."
While the racing is the obvious draw to
attending the Galway Festival, there are
many other reasons to mark the week in
your calendar. Each day of the festival
