Galway Sentiment Results

At the peak of the economic 'Tiger' years 48,120 crammed into Galway for Hurdle day. It remains a modern day attendance record. Topping it is a bit like the idea of bettering Arkle's totemic Timeform rating. With €2 million in prizemoney up for grabs Galway is a big racing deal. But the festival has always been a wider barometer of how Ireland feels about itself financially. There's debate as to whether or not the country as a whole is thriving again economically. That's unsurprising since such sentiment is down to each specific pocket. So this week's sentiment results will be fascinating.

Of course crowd figures are famously volatile. If on-course betting statistics are on a downward trajectory then attendances can climb or dip on something as fluctuating as the Irish weather. It's just Galway's bad luck then that weeks of Mediterranean conditions will be interrupted at just the wrong time although no one can really be shocked at the prospect of rain in the west of Ireland.

Overall attendances though are on the slide. Even with big festivals boosting figures the slip in average attendance statistics is worrying. Crowd levels can never be anything but one indicator of racing's general appeal. But many believe they are reflective of general concerns about the sport's appeal generally.

Galway's popularity has always been its own phenomenon. Like another 'event' fixture such as Leopardstown at Christmas it has a heritage and tradition that exerts a pull on the general public. An attempt at looking at the disparity between the social and the sporting elements to that pull, as well as trying to put it in the context of racing's overall appeal, is contained in the following link:

Here For The Beer A Serious Rival To Action On Th Track

Whatever the reason people do descend on Ballybrit in late July and produce a unique sporting occasion as well as an invaluable profile boost for the sport generally. This 2018 festival will be an important one in particular for the Galway authorities.

For years it's been an article of faith that Galway Hurdle Day - or 'Ladies Day' as it is marketed to the wider world - is the single biggest attendance of the year in Ireland. In terms of skulls through turnstiles Ballybrit was always out on its own. Except such assumptions don't apply anymore.

The big Hurdle day attendance last year was 30,294, down 2,369 on 2016. The final day of this year's Punchestown festival pulled 35,948. Punchestown's five day crowd total was 127,489. Galway's seven days in 2017 saw 137,682 pile through the gates.

You can argue all you like about how much of Punchestown's record modern-day crowd was conjured by the racing or it's 'Family Day' pitch. But whatever the reason Galway has competition on its hands.

In response one attempt to boost crowd figures is the switch Wednesday's Day Three Galway Plate card to an evening fixture. This has provoked some criticism although it's hard to imagine what concrete negative there is to putting back the Plate's start-time just a couple of hours. It's a little different. But not so different as to make it wrong. It looks well worth a go.

Galway's investment in facilities has always been notable, often putting other tracks to shame. Recent developments appear to have again hit the bullseye. One prominent industry figure told me that if the Curragh get to within shouting distance of the same standard they will be doing well. And this willingness to try and attract racegoers rather than just take the TV money is always admirable.

But there is one 'customer service' move the Galway executive has planned that should immediately be declared a non-runner. It is the decision to have 'Ireland's Call' inflicted upon the race-going public as some sort of 'anthem' before the first race of the festival.

Galway isn't the first to try and get some 'morkoting' traction by trying to brand a song to an occasion. The Curragh is still persevering with a dirge usually greeted with rapt disinterest on Derby day. All of it is an attempt to ape the Melbourne Cup's Waltzing Matilda or My Old Kentucky Home at Churchill Downs.

However the 'Curragh of Kildare' is a musical triumph of soul and meaning compared to 'Ireland's Call.' Such an anodyne piece of nothing is rendered unfortunately necessary on the rugby field because of this island's sad history. Rugger types like to bellow and they can all join in on this sham of a song precisely because it means nothing to anyone.

My Old Kentucky Home means something to 150,000 pissed-up 'Durby' fans. There's identity bound up in Waltzing Matilda. The only thing bound up in Ireland's Call is banality. That's its point. Call me crazy but if Galway want a tune why not the one staring it in the face - 'The Galway Races.' Or 'Galway Bay.' Or 'N-17.' Anything but this.

As for the actual racing it will be interesting to see what the impact of much easier ground conditions than we've been operating on for weeks will have on results.

Versatility could be important and as always proven course form is a major plus. With that in mind David's Charm won at the festival last year, landed a valuable handicap during the winter and has had two spins on the flat recently. Current 12-1 odds for Thursday's big hurdle look tempting.

When it comes to Galway though it's important to keep in mind the permutations that can make punting sentiment there particularly variable.

Time was when keeping Dermot Weld onside was the general principle even though the outcome was a lot of his horses were seriously over-bet. Those days look gone now. Weld doesn't target the festival like he used to anymore. It is Willie Mullins who has become many people's 'go-to' guy.

The champion National Hunt trainer had nine victories from just 20 festival runners in 2016. Last year he saddled a dozen winners on both the flat and over jumps. With the form his horses are in generally this summer it would be no surprise to see similar dominance this week. In fact it mightn't be the biggest shock if he comes within hollering distance of Weld's 2014 record of 17 winners.

At the time the idea of that 17 winner haul getting topped seemed impossible. But you never know at Galway.