GALWAY FESTIVAL 2020 [JULY 27th -- AUG 2nd] -- DAY ONE MONDAY

DAY ONE - MONDAY
Day 1 of racing being held behind closed doors this year.
The highly-anticipated week long seven-day Galway Races Summer Festival kicks off on Monday 27th July. With seven flat races on this evening's card, our first race kicks off at 4.40pm which is a 7f maiden event and the last handicap race at 7.45pm. Regarded as Ireland’s largest horse racing Festival, this year as we will race behind closed doors the feature race tonight being the Connacht Hotel Handicap due off around 6:45pm.

Once again this season we will continue to focus on the horses from trainer Dermot Weld and we will continue to track his progress this week though we might also offer one or two other selections in particular the feature races if no Weld runner is declared. Once again for this season we intend to follow the success of JP O'Brien who often has a nice priced winner and seems to have taken well to training and has the ability to be as good as his father in time.

Going -- Flat - Good to Yielding.
Weather Forecast -- Expecting a showery day on Monday with a high of 17C.

Day One Selections;
16:10 Claregalwayhotel.ie Irish EBF Maiden
7f 10 Runners
Blue For You [D Weld]  WON 8/1

16:40 Claytonhotelgalway.ie Handicap
7f 15 Runners
Thaleeq [D Weld]  5th 17/2

17:15 Galmont.com and Galwaybayhotel.com Handicap
7f 13 Runners
Lightning Amber [D Weld]  5th 8/1
Aced It [JP O'Brien]  4th 17/2

18:15 Easyfix Handicap
1m 4f 84yds 16 Runners
Centroid [D Weld]   WON 4/1
Globe Theatre [JP O'Brien]  6th 14/1

18:45 Connacht Hotel (Q.R.) Handicap
2m 179yds 20 Runners
The opening day's feature race is this two mile handicap worth €45,000 to the winner, and won last year by Great White Shark (8/1) trained by Willie Mullins. Dermot Weld has Dalton Highway [13th 11/2] who was winning last time up at the Curragh and was runner up here last year so should be ready to fire with the yard going well. JP O'Brien is also represented with a trio of runners, Kings Vow [14th 66/1], Grandmaster Flash [5th 20/1] and A Wave of the Sea [9th 10/1] who might well be the pick of these with a light weight and a very experienced jockey booked. Of the rest of the field might also have a look at the 10yo De Name Escapes Me too for trainer Noel Meade.

19:15 Eventus Handicap
1m 4f 84yds 11 Runners
Flying Scotsman [JP O'Brien]  WON 10/3
Lilli Milena [D Weld]  9th 5/1

19:45 Monami Construction (Q.R.) Maiden
1m 4f 84yds 16 Runners
Ciel D'afrique [D Weld]  2nd 5/2
Druids Altar [JP O'Brien]  6th 12/1
Liam's Approval [JP O'Brien - Reserve N/R].

Racing, Guinness, Women, Great Craic ... Life is good.

Day One results and stats, will appear here during Monday night and we have plenty more to see and do yet before the week is out. It's only the opening day, but Dermot Weld off to a great start and JP O'Brien is on the board too but down slightly to SP returns, overall we are ahead after Day One.

D Weld   7pts staked today    returns 14pts
p/l for week   +7pts
JP O'Brien   8pts staked today     returns 5.33pts
p/l for week   -2.67pts
Overall   week p/l to date +4.33pts

Results will appear here on Monday evening along with 'Day Two' to be published shortly, we are also racing at 'Glorious' Goodwood too this week starting on Tuesday, so two top class meetings to enjoy all week long.