Ruby Walsh: Ronald Pump looks the best value in very competitive Plate

Kyprios and Ryan Moore (nearest) beats Stradivarius in the Al Shaqab Goodwood Cup. See story on Page15. Picture: Healy Racing

The Galway Plate or the Galway Hurdle: which is the mid-summer highlight for National Hunt fans? I don’t know if there is a correct answer, but it is probably a question many National Hunt fans have an opinion on but one that never bothered me leaving Galway if I managed to win one or the other.

Their value to the winner is equal so, in monetary terms, there is no difference, and they are both of significant value nowadays which has seen their quality rise year on year. Galway is the proof that prize money matters, and with the backing of a good sponsor and a forward-thinking board, the stature of the meeting’s marquee races continues to grow instead of standing still.