# Galway Festival 2026: Dates, Programme, Galway Plate and Galway Hurdle

_Mon 27 July–Sun 2 August 2026, Ballybrit. Seven days of Irish racing — the Tote Galway Plate on Wednesday, the Guinness Galway Hurdle on Ladies' Day Thursday — with the full week programme, what to watch and how to follow it._

*Source: [https://stablebet.co.uk/racing-news/galway-festival/](https://stablebet.co.uk/racing-news/galway-festival/) · last updated 2026-07-22*

## Galway Festival 2026: seven days at Ballybrit

The **Galway Races Summer Festival** runs from **Monday 27 July to Sunday 2 August 2026** at Ballybrit Racecourse, about six kilometres northeast of Galway city. Seven days of mixed-code racing on a tight, undulating right-handed circuit with a stiff uphill finish — and the longest race meeting in Britain or Ireland.

The scale is considerable. Total prize money in 2026 is advertised at in excess of €2 million across the week, with a feature race worth at least €110,000 on each of the seven days. The two headline races — the **Tote Galway Plate** (Wednesday, 2m6½f Premier Handicap chase) and the **Guinness Galway Hurdle** (Thursday's Ladies' Day, 2m Premier Handicap hurdle) — each carry prize funds of €270,000. Attendance across recent festivals has run between 116,000 and 126,000 for the week.

The festival has a distinct rhythm. It opens with evening Flat cards from Monday to Tuesday and runs into mixed-code racing from Wednesday, with the two great handicaps on back-to-back afternoons at the heart of the week. Wednesday (Plate Day) and Thursday (Ladies' Day) are the biggest and most heavily bet days; Friday's Most Stylish competition drew the highest single-day crowd in 2025 at 26,234.

This page covers the 2026 programme, the two signature races and where to follow the action. For the full evergreen guide to the festival — how the track works, draw biases, form angles and planning a trip — see the [Galway Festival guide](/irish-racecourses/galway/galway-festival-guide/). For the Plate's history and roll of honour in detail, see the [Galway Plate guide](/irish-racecourses/galway/the-galway-plate/). Every day's winners and starting prices are added to the [Galway Festival 2026 results hub](/racing-news/galway-festival-2026-results/) as each card finishes.

> **Responsible gambling:** nothing here is a tip or betting advice. If you bet, stake only what you can afford to lose, set deposit limits and never chase. [BeGambleAware.org](https://www.begambleaware.org). 18+.

## The seven days

## The seven days

The week breaks into two distinct halves. Evening Flat cards fill Monday and Tuesday; from Wednesday the festival shifts to mixed-code racing with afternoon starts. Off-times are confirmed in the official Galway Races programme; the figures below are typical first-race windows from recent festivals.

**Monday 27 July — Opening Day** (first race ~5:05pm). The **Connacht Hotel (Q.R.) Handicap** is the opening-day feature — a Premier Handicap over about 2m1f for amateur "Qualified Riders", commonly called Ireland's amateur Derby, worth around €110,000. Sirius (Willie Mullins, 50/1) won the 2024 renewal; Filey Bay took it in 2025. Seven races on the card.

**Tuesday 28 July — Tribes Tuesday** (first race ~5:05pm). The **Colm Quinn BMW Mile Handicap** (Premier Handicap, about 1m, worth €120,000 in 2025) is Tuesday's feature — one of the most competitive Flat handicaps of the Irish summer. Dunum (Natalia Lupini, Seamie Heffernan, 12/1) won in 2025; Mexicali Rose (Joseph O'Brien) in 2024. Seven races.

**Wednesday 29 July — Plate Day.** The **Tote Galway Plate** is the centrepiece — the festival's biggest betting race, covered in detail in the next section. The day also carries the Country Music evening atmosphere that has become part of the Wednesday character. Seven races.

**Thursday 30 July — Ladies' Day** (gates open ~11:15am, first race ~2:00pm). The **Guinness Galway Hurdle** is run on Ladies' Day. The Best Dressed Lady competition is the day's social focal point alongside the racing. Eight races on an afternoon card — the first afternoon start of the festival.

**Friday 31 July — Friday's Fair Lady** (first race ~2:00pm). The festival's busiest day in 2025 at 26,234 through the gates. A Most Stylish competition runs alongside a deep card of National Hunt handicaps. The **Guinness Galway Blazers Handicap Chase** (about 2m6½f) is among the day's main events. Eight races.

**Saturday 1 August** (first race ~2:00pm). The **BoyleSports Galway Tribes Handicap Hurdle** and the **Galway Shopping Centre Handicap Hurdle** are Saturday's feature events. Eight races on an afternoon card.

**Sunday 2 August — Family Day** (first race ~2:00pm). The week closes with the **Irish Stallion Farms EBF "Ahonoora" Handicap** (Premier Handicap, 7f Flat, about €100,000–€110,000). Family-day admission deals, "Mad Hatters Day" and a festival close-out atmosphere at Ballybrit. Eight races.

| Day | Date | Est. first race | Feature |
|---|---|---|---|
| Opening Day | 27 July (Mon) | ~5:05pm | Connacht Hotel (Q.R.) Handicap |
| Tribes Tuesday | 28 July (Tue) | ~5:05pm | Colm Quinn BMW Mile Handicap |
| Plate Day | 29 July (Wed) | TBC | **Tote Galway Plate** |
| Ladies' Day | 30 July (Thu) | ~2:00pm | **Guinness Galway Hurdle** |
| Friday's Fair Lady | 31 July (Fri) | ~2:00pm | Galway Blazers Handicap Chase |
| Saturday | 1 Aug (Sat) | ~2:00pm | Galway Tribes Handicap Hurdle |
| Family Day | 2 Aug (Sun) | ~2:00pm | Ahonoora Handicap |

Confirmed off-times are published on [galwayraces.com](https://www.galwayraces.com) as the programme is finalised. Plate Day and Ladies' Day sell out corporate hospitality early; arrive well before the first race to park.

## The Galway Plate and the Galway Hurdle

## The Galway Plate and the Galway Hurdle

Galway stages no Group or Graded (Grade 1/2/3) races. Its two signature events are **Premier Handicaps** — the highest tier of Irish handicap racing — and they are the reason the festival betting ring is among the most active in the country.

### The Tote Galway Plate — Wednesday 29 July

The **Tote Galway Plate** is a Premier Handicap chase over **2m6½f (14 fences)**, run on the Wednesday afternoon (Plate Day). Worth €270,000 in 2025, with €162,000 to the winner, it has been run at Ballybrit since the very first meeting in 1869 — the oldest race in the festival's programme.

The 2026 renewal is the one to mark on the calendar. Gordon Elliott is the outright leading trainer in the Plate's modern era with **five wins** (2016, 2018, 2019, 2023, 2025), while Willie Mullins has one (Royal Rendezvous, 2021) and Noel Meade two (Road to Riches 2014, Pinkerton 2024). **Danny Gilligan**, Galway-born and associated with the Elliott stable, rode two Plate winners (Ash Tree Meadow 2023, Western Fold 2025).

| Year | Winner | SP | Trainer | Jockey |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Western Fold | 11/1 | Gordon Elliott | Danny Gilligan |
| 2024 | Pinkerton | 20/1 | Noel Meade | Donagh Meyler |
| 2023 | Ash Tree Meadow | 13/2 | Gordon Elliott | Danny Gilligan |
| 2022 | Hewick | 16/1 | John "Shark" Hanlon | Jordan Gainford |
| 2021 | Royal Rendezvous | 5/1f | Willie Mullins | Paul Townend |

The Plate has only four winning favourites in the last 20 renewals, making it one of the more reliably open handicaps in Ireland. Most recent winners had run at Punchestown or Killarney last time out. Fields of 16 to 25 runners are typical; the 14-fence circuit and Ballybrit's stiff uphill finish put a premium on staying power and jumping accuracy. The last British-trained winner was Oslot in 2008 (Paul Nicholls, 11/4 fav); 19 of the last 20 have gone to Irish stables.

For the full roll of honour and race history, see the [Galway Plate guide](/irish-racecourses/galway/the-galway-plate/).

### The Guinness Galway Hurdle — Thursday 30 July (Ladies' Day)

The **Guinness Galway Hurdle** is run on the Thursday afternoon (Ladies' Day) over **2m (nine flights)**, worth €270,000 in 2025 and widely described as the richest handicap hurdle in Ireland. It has been run since 1913 and was elevated to Graded status in 2014. Fields of around 18 to 20 runners are typical.

**Willie Mullins** is the leading trainer in the race with **six wins** (1996, 2016, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2023). Gordon Elliott, despite 35 runners without a win before 2025, finally took it with **Ndaawi** (Jack Kennedy, 13/2), who was awarded the race in the stewards' room after Helvic Dream (Noel Meade, Donagh Meyler) passed the post first but was demoted for causing interference.

| Year | Winner | SP | Trainer | Jockey |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Ndaawi | 13/2 | Gordon Elliott | Jack Kennedy |
| 2024 | Nurburgring | 13/2 | Joseph O'Brien | JJ Slevin |
| 2023 | Zarak The Brave | 9/2 | Willie Mullins | Paul Townend |
| 2022 | Tudor City | 22/1 | Tony Martin | L A McKenna |
| 2021 | Saldier | 18/1 | Willie Mullins | Patrick Mullins |

Trends from the last 22 renewals: 18 of 22 winners were top-3 last time out; 16 of 22 were aged 5 to 7; 14 of 22 returned 7/1 or shorter. All but one winner since 1989 has been Irish-trained. Patrick Mullins holds the jockeys' record with three wins (2018, 2020, 2021). Gordon Elliott's 2025 breakthrough ended a run in which Willie Mullins, Joseph O'Brien and Tony Martin had split every renewal between 2014 and 2024.

## Where to watch and betting notes

## Where to watch and betting notes

### TV and streaming

The Galway Festival is not on ITV Racing. All seven days are broadcast by **RTÉ** (free-to-air in the Republic of Ireland) with a selection of races per day on RTÉ One/RTÉ2 and the RTÉ Player. RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta provides live radio coverage in Irish throughout the week.

In the UK, **Racing TV** carries the full seven-day meeting. All 26 Irish racecourses moved their media rights to Racing TV from 1 January 2019. Racing TV subscribers can watch every race live; the service is also available to log-in subscribers through most major bookmaker platforms.

### A note on the track

Galway is a right-handed, sharp "switchback" circuit with a stiff uphill finish — one of the most testing run-ins in Ireland. Front-runners have a clear statistical advantage on the tight turns; hold-up horses have produced a 4.18% win rate in competitive handicaps since 2009, among the worst records for held-up horses at any Irish course. Prominent racing is a clear plus, particularly in the large-field Premier Handicaps.

Galway also shows an unusual draw bias on the Flat: low draws hold a slight edge at 7f and 1m (Timeform), with some residual advantage even over 1m4f, particularly on quicker ground. The bias weakens significantly on yielding or soft. Ground at Ballybrit can shift mid-week; the West of Ireland summer is genuinely unpredictable, and watering is routine in dry spells.

### Opening an account for the week

For a week of large-field handicaps, where early prices can drift or shorten, Best Odds Guaranteed is the concession worth having. Our [Galway festival offers](/bookmakers/galway-festival-offers/) page compares the verified free bets, the Best Odds Guaranteed firms and the extra-place each-way deals for Plate and Hurdle day; the wider [bookmaker offers](/bookmakers/offers/) page covers the rest of the market.

Two tools worth having open for the week. The [AI Race Predictor](/ai-race-predictor/today/) publishes a calibrated, independent estimate of each runner's true chance on the morning of the race, so you can see where a price looks generous against the model. It is not a tipping line and never promises a profit; it is a second opinion that helps you judge value for yourself. And for the big-field handicaps, the [each-way calculator](/betting/calculators/each-way/) works out exactly what the place terms return at your stake.

Every day's winners and starting prices are added to the [Galway Festival 2026 results hub](/racing-news/galway-festival-2026-results/) as each card finishes, verified from source before they go up.

> **Responsible gambling:** nothing here is a tip. Odds and offers only have value on bets you would make anyway. Set a budget before the week starts, never chase, and remember every offer carries terms. 18+, [BeGambleAware.org](https://www.begambleaware.org).