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RacingBetter News |
| Thursday 19th September 2019 | |
The Galway October Races
2019 is a very special year for the Galway Races. The racecourse at Ballybrit is its 150th anniversary, and the races and events at Galway are focused around that celebration.
And if you are an avid horse racing fan, then you will want to know about the last few races of the year at Galway.
Ballybrit Racecourse
Ballybrit Racecourse is right-handed course that is a mile and 2 furlongs. It has a steep decline that leads into a dip right where the last two fences of the racecourse are placed. In fact, these two fences are notorious for being the closest fences on any racecourse anywhere in the world! And finally, there is a sharp incline just before the finish line.
The first meeting for the races at Ballybrit Racecourse was held on Tuesday, August 17 in 1869. It was a two-day event, and the start of a 150-year long tradition called the Galway Races. Today, this festival is so famous that people from all over the world come to Ballybrit to take part in as well as enjoy the excellent races.
The other two festivals that take place in the Galway Racecourse calendar are held in September and in October. The September festival is known as the Autumn Racing and the October festival, which is just two years old, is known as the Galway October Bank Holiday Racing Festival.
According to Horse Racing Ireland, the October Festival is being held for the second time during the October bank holiday weekend, starting on October 26. The event is three days long and it is the last event of the Galway Races annual horse racing calendar.
Big Racing Days in October
October Race Day
The Galway Races October Race Day is scheduled for October 8. This single day of racing that has 7 races on the card. This is a mid-week race, and starts off the October races in Galway.
The gates will open at 12.45pm and the first race will take place at 2.25pm.
October Bank Holiday Racing Festival
Even though the October Bank Holiday Racing Festival is just 2 years old, it has become extremely popular with racegoers. This 3-day event kicks off on October 26 and ends on October 28. Here is the schedule of events for this festival.
Day 1 - Family Day
The Galway October Bank Holiday Festival kicks off on Saturday, October 26, with Family Day. There are 7 races lined up for the day and gates will open at 11.30am. The first race is scheduled for 1.35pm, while the last race will be at 5.35pm.
Besides the races, Family Day has a line up of family activities with a Spooktacular Halloween theme. There will be a fancy-dress competition, face painting, a motor bike stunt show and other family focused activities between the races.
Day 2 - Race in Pink Day
Day 2 of the Galway October Bank Holiday Festival is called the Race in Pink Day. The Race in Pink Day is a dedicated fundraiser for the National Breast Cancer Research Institute (BRCI), and this is the second iteration of this event.
In partnership with the BRCI, the Galway Racecourse will raise funds for the research team at NUIG (National University of Ireland), which is working on improving diagnosis and treatment for breast cancer.
The first Race in Pink Day was held during the October Bank Festival in 2018, and the event was able to raise €95,000 for the Institute.
The Race in Pink Day has 7 races lined up. Gates will open at 10.30am and the first race will commence at 12.35pm. The last race will take place at 4.25pm.
Day 3 - Student Raceday
The third day of the Galway October Bank Holiday Festival 2019 is called Student Raceday. It will take place on Monday, October 28.
This event is being organized in conjunction with the NUIG Voluntary Services Abroad as well as NUIG’s Rugby Club. There will not only be live music and delicious food at the races on this day, but there will also be 3 different afterparties, which are being organized at the nightclubs Electric, Karma and Four Four.
The raceday will begin at 11.30am, with the first race taking place at 1.10pm and the last race commencing at 4.30pm. There will be a total of 7 races on Student Raceday.
For more details about the events, you can check out the Galway Races website. You will also get to see next year’s racing calendar on their website.
Betting Online
If you can’t make it to the Galway October Bank Holiday Racing Festival this year, but still want to bet on the race, then don’t worry. Thanks to the internet, you can now bet on your favorite horses on reliable online horse racing sites.
