Galway Festival 2025: Insights on Top Trainers and Their Winning Stats

The Galway Races are looming large on the horizon with the week-long extravaganza at Ballybrit set to straddle the final days of July into the August bank holiday weekend.

Ahead of the 2025 Galway Races, we're looking at some trainers who will be hoping to make their mark.

Novibet Betting Offer

Gordon Elliott

Gordon Elliott had 53 runners at Galway in 2024 and the Cullentra House handler returned eight winners and 14 more placed horses, showing a 15 per cent strike-rate and a level-stakes profit of +11.21.

Among Elliott's possible Galway representatives this year will be Timeless Treaty, who is 2-2 over timber after scoring at Punchestown in June.

"I thought he was gutsy today because he was headed and came back, he was tough," said Elliott of that win. "I suppose we'll probably end up going for a novice at Galway now."

Willie Mullins

Ireland's perennial champion trainer Willie Mullins has really started to target Galway Races in recent times.

The Closutton maestro has now won a record six Galway Hurdles, with Mystical City (1996), Clondaw Warrior (2016), Sharjah (2018), Aramon (2020), Saldier (2021) and Zarak The Brave (2023) all successful.

In 2024, Mullins saddled 60 runners at Galway, with seven winners and 15 placed efforts and a level-stakes profit of +15.88.

Joseph O'Brien

Joseph O'Brien landed his latest big winner at Galway last summer as Nurburgring stormed to a dominant victory in the Galway Hurdle under the trainer's cousin JJ Slevin.

The four-year-old put on an impressive display and cruised over the line with seven lengths to spare in the feature Grade 3 contest.

In 2024, the Piltown trainer sent out 59 runners at Galway, returning nine winners and 16 more who hit the frame and his level-stakes profit came in at a rewarding +13.13.

Tom Mullins

Another of the Mullins racing dynasty, Tom now occupies Doninga Stables, the yard at Goresbridge in Co Kilkenny where his father, Paddy, plied his trade, winning some of the biggest races in Europe both on the flat and over jumps.

Tom may not have the firepower of his brother, Willie, or the same stellar record in the biggest races at home and abroad, but he is a trainer to be watched at Galway.

His career record at the Ballybrit layout shows 27 winners from just 186 starters, with 28 more making the frame and he's showing a fabulous level-stakes profit of +46.26.

Tony Martin

Trainer Tony Martin is intrinsically linked to the Galway Races courtesy of his four wins in the Galway Hurdle via Thomas Edison (2014), Quick Jack (2015) and Tudor City (2019 and 2022).

Formerly a top amateur rider, Martin is regarded as one of the shrewdest trainers in Ireland with a long-established reputation for getting the very best out of his horses and placing them to excellent effect.

Ado McGuinness

Galway holds a special place in Ado McGuinness’s heart. McGuinness won the Colm Quinn BMW Mile three years in a row from 2019 to 2021 courtesy of dual victor Saltonstall and Sirjack Thomas.

Based in Lusk on the outskirts of Dublin, his love of the western seaboard venue is long established.

"I love Galway. It's been good to me and it's been good for my career. I love the people, I love the place and I love staying down there for a few days for the craic," he told the Irish Independent.