Galway Plate Recap: Who to Watch for Future Races

The Galway Plate is one of the Festival’s biggest races and the €270,000 race is something every Irish trainer wants to win.

The 2025 edition went to Gordon Elliott, who won it for the fifth time in the last 10 years with Western Fold scoring by four and a half-lengths.

Here we pick out four horses to take out of the race who should be well up to winning a decent prize or two in the not so distant future.

Noel Meade ’s Jesse Evans doesn’t make this list but he deserves a shoutout, after finishing second in the Galway event.

Western Fold (1st)

Let’s get the obvious one out of the way first, Elliott’s lightly raced chaser Western Fold came into the race off the back of successive wins and aiming to complete a hat-trick. He took up the running, travelling very well after the last fence, and stayed on powerfully to score by just shy of five lengths.

Ground is important to him, as he needs conditions to be on the good side. Trainer Elliott thought the 10lb rise from his previous success in the Mayo National might have been enough to stop him, which suggests the handicapper will catch up sooner rather than later.

Clearly he’s a smart performer and something like the Irish Grand National could be an option, as long as the ground is good and connections look after his mark.

Buddy One (6th)

Buddy One is another who was prominent early on but he dropped to midfield halfway through. A bad mistake at the fourth last fence knocked the stuffing out of him somewhat and he did well to recover under the circumstances.

Keeping on up the run-in, he was fighting a losing battle from then on but stuck to his task well. We know he stays further and the eight-year-old has a decent prize in him.

WESTERN FOLD wins the Galway Plate! 🏆@gelliott_racing 🤝 Danny Gilligan@ToteRacing | @Galway_Races pic.twitter.com/n2rfDKNo22

— Racing TV (@RacingTV) July 30, 2025

Zanahiyr (7th)

Another one for Gordon Elliott, Zanahiyr seems to have been around forever, despite the fact that he’s only eight. Prominent in the early stages, he lost his position somewhat when the pace quickened with four fences to go.

He responded well to his rider’s encouragement and kept on to finish seventh. Perhaps some help from the handicapper would facilitate a return to winning ways for this horse. A longer trip could also help and he’s far from a lost cause.

Jazzy Matty (12th)

It’s no surprise that Jazzy Matty won the Grand Annual at the Cheltenham Festival in March, as he jumps and travels so well. The extended 2m6f trip proved to be his undoing at Galway, though. He gave jockey Harry Cobden a great spin for most of the way before getting tired approaching the last.

A drop back in trip surely beckons and it wouldn’t be a surprise if he was to win future races over hurdles or fences. Cian Collins is swiftly gaining a good reputation and his stable star is likely to provide more big days, just over shorter trips.