No grounds for concern at Galway

Preparations for the Galway Festival, which begins on Monday week, July 29, are into their final stages but the recent spell of hot weather has put added pressure on the Ballybrit management, who have been working feverishly to ensure perfect going for the start of the seven-day meeting.

The dry spell has called for extra attention to the ground itself but racecourse manager John Moloney is confident he and his team are in control of matters and all set for another successful meeting.

“We began by putting seven millimetres of water on the track for the first four days and we’re well on top of it now and are down to five millimetres,” said Moloney.

“At this stage, we’re putting eighty to one hundred thousand gallons on the track every day.

“The grass growth is continuing, which is great, and we plan to continue to water as long as possible.

“It’s a difficult job because, with the weather as it is, we have to cover the complete course each time — we can’t choose to water one part now and another later.

“There are 26 acres of track to cover and it all has to be done.

“With two machines working together, it takes between six and seven hours to water the whole course.

“We start at 6am and finish up around noon.

“We have our own watering system, which is of huge benefit.

“It was probably decided [to install the system] on some rainy day and many people thought we were off our rocker, but there’s no sign of them now.

“We expect to have good/good-to-firm ground for the start of the Festival and we’ll leave no stone unturned to ensure that happens.”

There are a number of early-closing races and, as has been a positive trend over the years, they have attracted the attention of the top stables on both sides of the Irish Sea.

“We have five early-closing races and there’s a huge entry for them,” said Moloney.

“The Plate has 61 entries, with seven of them from Britain, while there are 51 in the Hurdle at this stage, with five from Britain.

“All the top trainers are represented and the quality is there.”

There will be in excess of €2,000,000 in prize-money up for grabs across the course of the week and the Galway Hurdle, with a total value of €260,000, is the richest hurdle race run in Ireland.

Moloney added: “The level of prize-money is really paying off - owners and trainers are willing to travel.

“We’re very happy with where we are at this stage and we’re looking forward to a great week.”