Sports Stars open Galway proceedings

‘Racing with the Sports Stars’ is the theme for the opening night of the seven-day Galway Festival.

Horse Racing Ireland and Galway Racecourse have come together to repeat last year’s intiative.

MC for the evening, Daithi O’Se, will chat to recently-retired Ireland and Munster player Alan Quinlan.

Alan one of the celebrity trainers in RTE’s ‘Stars Go Racing’ TV programme will be joined by Connacht players Gavin Duffy, Mike McCarthy & Michael Swift.

Daithi will also interview top National Hunt and Flat jockeys, as he discusses their sporting careers and what it takes to be at the top of their professions.

'Racing with the Sports Stars’ will take place on the main stage at the back of the Millennium Stand.

Alan Quinlan, ex-rugby player and star of ‘Stars Go Racing’ said: “I am really looking forward to going to Galway on Monday night. I’ve been to the festival a few times and always have a great time.

“I’ve also enjoyed learning how to train horses as part of RTE’s ‘Stars Go Racing’ programme, so I’ll be following all the races more closely too, especially runners from Jessica Harrington’s yard.

John Moloney, Manager of Galway Racecourse said: “We are all set for another seven days racing at Ballybrit and Racing with the Sports Stars is a great event to launch the festival.

“We are delighted to have Alan, Gavin, Mike & Michael join us and share their rugby stories with the world of racing”.

The first race is at 5.05pm and the feature race is the carlton.ie/galwaycity (Q.R.) Handicap Hurdle. Admission on Monday is €20.