Millions to be won and spent as Galway gears up for its biggest racing festival

MORE than 150,000 people are expected to throng the racecourse at Ballybrit in three weeks’ time with over €1.6 million up for grabs in 52 races and many times more that being brought into the local economy during the seven-day feast of fillies and fashion.
The Galway summer festival is one of the social and sporting highlights of the summer and kicks off on Monday, July 28. The week long racing spectacular is estimated to be worth €60 million to the local economy with hotels, restaurants, pubs, taxis and bookies usually the big winners. Traders are hoping that the reported pick-up in the economy will become evident during the week with more racegoers upping their spend across all sectors.
Speaking at the launch of the Galway summer festival on Monday evening, racecourse chairman Terry Cunningham said: “We are delighted to announce that all of the races are sponsored throughout the week and look forward to over 150,000 racing fans descending on Ballybrit again to attend one of the biggest racing festivals throughout the calendar year.”