Rain proves the only sure thing at Ballybrit

Normal service was resumed for the Galway Plate as rain of biblical proportions battered bedraggled punters.

Galway racegoers are a hardy sort and they needed to be yesterday as the wet weather arrived with a vengeance and didn’t let up.

Every stall, stand, and bar was crammed with frozen punters looking for some respite from the conditions in an alcoholic drink.

Despite the deluge, thousands of women seemed determined to dress like they were in the Algarve. With one hand needed to hold onto a hat and a dress to protect them from the elements, it was hard to keep a grip on a rapidly diluting mojito.

It needed an intervention from the gods, and when God isn’t playing ball, President Michael D Higgins isn’t a bad option.

After a short lunch, the head of State duly went for a wander among the punters and managed to bring a bit of sunshine with him. No stranger to Ballybrit down the years, he even admitted to having shared in a jackpot two years ago with his son.

Not that he was bragging about it, it took a bit of gentle urging from his wife Sabina for him to admit it in the first place. “It’s always great to recall memories of the racing where he shared the winning jackpot with his son one year,” she said.

The President was quick to quip: “I don’t like to talk about it! It’s a jackpot that myself and my son Daniel shared a few years ago.”

President Higgins also paid tribute to the late Colm Murray and said he would be travelling to Dublin for the funeral.

“Every person mentions him and they mention him with admiration and particularly for his generosity and his assistance to other people. He had great courage and he came to so many events. I had the privilege of knowing him in many different ways and I’m very happy to be able to go back to Dublin for that.”

As for the racing, JP McManus was the big winner, taking first, second, and third in the Galway Plate with Carlingford Lough.

As the bookies took a rare pounding, Hayley O’Connor of Ladbrokes said: “The results today were the stuff of nightmares and we were completely pummelled in the feature race.

“Carlingford Lough has been consistently backed for the past fortnight and a single punter on the track had 10 grand each way on the winner. We’re in the gutter at the half way point and the punters have us gasping.”

Betfair’s Barry Orr said he hoped the old racing adage “where there’s muck, there’s luck” would come to pass.

“The last few weeks have obviously been fantastic weather, but the hard ground is gone and it’s a bit of a lottery out there. A lot of the favourites will find the going tough out there, it makes things better for the bookies, because it’s like a soup and throws everything into chaos.”

But despite the downpours, Orr was confident the crowds would still be out in force.

“That’s one of the great things about Galway, people will be prepared for the weather... Galway isn’t weather dependent because there’s so much to do. They might not be out and about around the course but they’ll be drinking in the stands.”

With the bookies taking a beating, no one is leaving Galway early.