Crazy money changes hands as festival hits final straight

IT'S been a long week but punters made it over the line yesterday as the Galway Races entered the final few furlongs.

Friday is always a more relaxed affair at Ballybrit and a time for families to enjoy a day free from the thronging hustle and bustle of Wednesday and Thursday.

With a bit more space to move around, children were scouring the ground looking to find a lost winning betting slip.

The one that got away for some unlucky punter just might make some kid’s year.

For race track staff, it’s also a time to finally relax as the hectic days are behind them.

With bars seven or eight people deep on Wednesday and Thursday, Friday is a welcome sight for most of those on the other side of the counter.

Not for those working in the champagne tent though. When the positions are doled out early on Monday morning, the champagne tent is the number one job to get. Why? Tips of course, and not the racing kind.

Unlike the bars where money is kept a little closer to the chest, the champagne tent is where people go to splash the cash. Certainly, one staff member was sorry to see the back of the big days. “I made a fair bit on Wednesday but Thursday was surprisingly quiet. One fella forked out €700 on just one round. Crazy money,” he said.

If you take a wander into that tent, be prepared to spend a small fortune. Prices range from €70 for the cheapest bottle of bubbly right up to €180. All that for six or seven glasses. Crazy money indeed.

An even more expensive place to enjoy the better side of life at the Galway Races is the VIP hospitality village.

Not many other villages in Ireland can boast the glamour and wealth that floats around here. Tickets ranged from €340 to €440 a head. It sounds steep but for that you do get a plush meal and a free bar.

For the ordinary Joe Soap, however, there are a plethora of bars and eateries. Pints are not exorbitantly priced either. In the Guinness tent, a pint of stout is a very reasonable €4.20 and a Carlsberg is €5 — try getting those prices in Dublin.

While a bag of chips and a burger is hardly a gourmet offering, it does stave off the hunger and keep you going and will not stretch the budget too much — after all, a meal is a meal.

The city’s Shop Street was a sea of people on Thursday night following Ladies’ Day. Despite the atrocious weather, people braved conditions for the last really big night of the Galway holiday season.

Despite all the gloomy weather predictions, yesterday saw Ballybrit bathed in sunshine.

Even the bookies were happy. One William Hill employee estimated some €100m was gambled this year, €70m off-course in bookies’ shops and internet cafes, and €30m on the course by punters looking to strike it rich or have a bit of fun.

Crazy money is right.