Gripping action and style galore at Galway Races
THE GALWAY Races Summer Festival saw a slight dip in attendances in 2026, but a series of new additions resulted in an improved race day experience welcomed by all visitors.
The seven-day festival saw 124,745 coming through the gates at Ballybrit, just over 1,000 less than last year’s figure, but still an increase from the number of punters in 2024 (116,374).
A crowd of 16,102 were in attendance on day one, down from 18,472 in 2025. While always a popular day, it had significant competition this year, clashing with the Mayo footballers homecoming in Castlebar that saw 60,000 descend on MacHale Park.
New additions to the enclosure were unveiled, such as a cocktail bar, an extended beauty paddock and Tote26, a newly revamped bar and betting area located on the ground floor of the Killanin Stand.
On the track, the feature race, the Connacht Hotel Qualified Riders Handicap went the way of Galway jockey Derek O’Connor. Often seen as the biggest race of the year for amateur riders, Derek took the prize for the first time in 23 years aboard the Joseph O’Brien-trained Comfort Zone.
Tribes Tuesday
Tuesday has been branded as Tribes Tuesday for the 2026 festival, with sports teams from across the county taking on a series of challenges in a bid to win big prizes. A crowd of 13,059 were on hand to see Orandi win the feature race, the Colm Quinn BMW Mile for Robbie Colgan and trainer Tony Martin.
But the story of the day came later as Eddie G, owned and bred by the Connolly family from Castlegar, secured an emotion win. They would get more success on the final day of the festival when Caislean Gear bolted up the hill to win the last race of the meeting.
Racing History
Daniel King secured his place in Galway Races folklore by landing a rare Galway Plate and Hurdle double on day three and four of the festival.
The 21-year-old successfully landed the Galway Plate aboard the Willie Mullins trained King Alexander on Wednesday evening, before going on to taste further success in the Galway Hurdle on Ladies Day via the well-backed Putapoundinthejar for trainer Tony Martin.
The last time this impressive double was landed by a jockey at the same festival was 42 years ago. Joe Byrne was the man in the saddle back in 1984 aboard Master Player and Tara Lee.
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PRESIDENT Catherine Connolly before the start of the Galway Plate race on Wednesday evening. All Pictures: Ray RyanImage 2 of 7
MAYO ladies Vanessa McDermotte, Cross and Lisa Monaghan, Kilmaine at the Galway Races.Image 3 of 7
LEAH Hoey, Roscommon and Jamie O’Grady, Tuam at Ladies Day of the Galway Races. RAY RYANImage 4 of 7
CLAIRE O’Keeffe, Clonboo at Ladies Day of the Galway Races Festival. RAY RYANImage 5 of 7
LADIES Day of the Galway Races Festival drew a large crowd to Ballybrit. RAY RYANImage 6 of 7
TV AND radio presenter Laura Fox, Moylough at Ladies Day of the Galway Races. RAY RYANImage 7 of 7
SAXOPHONIST Natalia Astramowicz-McGough entertained the crowd at the Galway Races. RAY RYANHigh Class Fashion
Of course, the Galway Races is about so much more then racing, with fashion playing a big part of the festival. Ladies Day on Thursday attracted a crowd of 24,128, many coming to try and win the Best Dressed Lady Competition, which this year was sponsored by Irish skincare brand Ella & Jo.
Lisa Walsh from Dunboyne in Meath secured the title. She wowed the judges by wearing a custom Australian made dress by 'Only One Ashley; paired with a hat by Fiona Rafter, a milliner from Meath. She beat off the competition of 19 other finalists to win €10,000 in prize money.
In the Best Hat Competition, Maksuda Akhter from Malahide in Dublin was awarded the title for a striking headpiece by Fiona Rafter. It was recognised for its creativity, craftsmanship and race-day flair and secured Maksuda €3,000.
The largest crowd of the week was recorded on Friday evening, with 27,783 in Ballybrit to see Thread of Gold win the feature race, the Guinness Handicap for Colin Keane and trainer Willie Mullins. This was a big increase on the crowds from 2025 where 26,234 came through the turnstiles.
The style stakes were high again as Sandra Faller from Galway was first past the winning post in the popular Most Stylish Competition presented by Athlone Towncentre.
She caught the eye of judges by wearing a black short puff dress by a Portuguese designer Marques Almeida. She elevated her stunning outfit with a creative headpiece by Edel Ramberg, shoes from Charles & Keith and bag from August Night.
Her prize was a Shop & Stay Break at the Sheraton Athlone Hotel. It Included a €3,000 gift card to spend in her choice of Athlone Towncentre stores.
Mixed week for local jockey
Tuam jockey Leigh Roche was among the winners later in the week, riding winners on Thursday and Friday. However, he was stood down from racing on Sunday after failing an alcohol test earlier in the day.
His case has been sent to a referrals committee at the Irish Horse Racing Regulatory Board, as has fellow jockey Eoin Staples who was also stood down from racing on Sunday for failing an alcohol test.