Founder & Editor · Last reviewed 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. For the Plate's history and roll of honour in detail, see the Galway Plate guide. Every day's winners and starting prices are added to the Galway Festival 2026 results hub 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. 18+.
Where to Bet
Place your bets with a trusted, licensed bookmaker.
Promo code BETFRED50. New UK & Gibraltar customers only, 18+. Register and deposit a minimum of £10 using debit card, Apple Pay or Truelayer Instant Bank Transfer (e-wallets and prepaid cards excluded). Place a first bet of £10 or more at minimum odds of Evens (2.0) on any sportsbook market within 7 days of registration. Once settled you receive 3 × £10 sports free bets and 2 × £10 acca free bets (4+ selections, win only). Free bets are credited within 10 hours of qualifying-bet settlement and expire 7 days after credit. Free-bet stake is not returned with winnings. One offer per person, household, IP address and device. Take Time to Think. BeGambleAware.org. 18+. T&Cs apply. Full T&Cs.
Promo code BET40GET20. New UK customers, 18+. Register with the code and place a first bet of £40 or more at Evens (2.0) or greater. Receive 2 × £10 free bets: the first credited automatically once the qualifying bet settles, the second 24 hours later. Free bets must be placed at minimum odds of 4/1 (5.0), expire 24 hours after credit, and the free-bet stake is not returned with winnings. Debit card deposits only. Take Time to Think. BeGambleAware.org. 18+. T&Cs apply. Full T&Cs.
50% of your first-day net losses refunded as a free bet, capped at £25. New UK customers aged 18+ only — one offer per person, household, IP address and device. Customers registered with GAMSTOP cannot claim. Minimum deposit £10 via Visa Debit, Mastercard Debit, Apple Pay or bank transfer; PayPal, Skrill, Neteller and prepaid cards are not supported. KYC identity verification must be completed before the free bet is credited. Free bet is stake-not-returned. Verify the qualifying-stake threshold, minimum-odds requirement and free-bet expiry on QuinnBet's live welcome-offer page before claiming. Take Time to Think. BeGambleAware.org. 18+. T&Cs apply. Full T&Cs.
New customers, 18+. Choose the sports bonus at sign-up, make a first deposit and receive a 100% bonus up to £50 in your Sports Bonus balance. To convert the bonus to cash, wager it 10x within 30 days. Single bets below Evens (2.00) do not qualify; accumulators do not qualify if any selection is below 1/2 (1.50). Virtual Sports, voided, cancelled, drawn, cashed-out and free-bet wagers do not count towards wagering. Only the first settled bet per event counts. Withdrawing before the wagering requirement is met forfeits the bonus balance including bonus winnings. Real-money funds are used before bonus funds. Deposits via Skrill or Neteller are not eligible. Not valid in conjunction with other promotions. Odds, bet and payment limits apply. 10bet general and promotion T&Cs apply. BeGambleAware.org. 18+. Full T&Cs.
New UK & Ireland customers, 18+. Opt in at registration (no promo code). Deposit £10+ by debit card and place a £10 fixed-odds qualifying bet at minimum odds of 1/2 (1.50) — single or each-way, not in-play and not cashed out. Receive £60 in bonuses: 3 × £10 fixed-odds free bets plus 6 × £5 sports spread bets, credited over consecutive days; free bets valid 28 days from issue. IMPORTANT: the 6 × £5 are SPREAD bets — sports spread betting carries the risk that losses can exceed your stake (Spreadex states 61% of its retail spread/CFD customers lose money). Sports spread-betting customers do not have Financial Ombudsman or FSCS recourse. A lone secondary advertises an 'up to £100' variant — always confirm the live terms on Spreadex's own sign-up page before opting in. Take Time to Think. BeGambleAware.org. 18+. T&Cs apply. Full T&Cs.
Promo code WELCOME15. New UK customers, 18+. Register and place a first qualifying bet of at least £10 from your cash balance at odds of evens (2.0) or greater within 7 days of opening the account. Once the qualifying bet settles you receive £15 in free bets, credited as 3 x £5 tokens. Free-bet stake is not returned with winnings. Free bets expire 7 days after they are credited. One offer per person, household, IP address and device. Confirm the current terms on BetGoodwin's own welcome-offer page before claiming. Take Time to Think. BeGambleAware.org. 18+. T&Cs apply. Full T&Cs.
New UK customers, 18+. Minimum deposit £10. Place a £10 qualifying single at minimum odds of 1/2 (1.50), settled within 14 days. Receive £30 in free bets (stake not returned). Free bets must be accepted within 7 days and expire 7 days after acceptance. No promo code required. Best Odds Guaranteed on UK & Irish racing. Operated by LiveScore Betting and Gaming (Gibraltar) Ltd, UKGC 56859. Confirm the current terms on LiveScore Bet's own promotions page before claiming. Take Time to Think. BeGambleAware.org. 18+. T&Cs apply. Full T&Cs.
18+. BeGambleAware.org
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 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.
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 bookmaker offers page compares the verified free bets and Best Odds Guaranteed firms. For depth on any individual bookmaker, the bookmaker guide covers each operator.
Every day's winners and starting prices are added to the Galway Festival 2026 results hub as each card finishes, verified from source before they go up.
Share this article
Research the field with the AI Race Predictor
Our model publishes calibrated win-probability estimates for UK races — a second opinion to understand a race, not tips. It's open about its record: it doesn't beat the market, and we show exactly how it does.
Work it out & learn the basics
Gamble Responsibly
Gambling should be entertaining and not seen as a way to make money. Never bet more than you can afford to lose. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, help and support is available.