In what has proven to be a turbulent last couple of years for the sport of horse racing, a global pandemic coupled with a cost-of-living crisis has contributed to a decline in attendance figures throughout the world.
While some of the crowds or lack thereof in recent years have been a cause for concern, race meet organisers will be pleased to see that numbers are swiftly returning to near pre-Covid levels. That promising trend is expected to be on full display at the 2022 Galway Races Summer Festival, with crowds in excess of 130,000 expected to file through the turnstiles at Ballybrit across the seven-day meeting.
Whether you’re interested in the events on offer away from the track, or you’re more inclined to have a Galway races bet on the dozens of top-class races scheduled, it’s not hard to see why crowd figures are set to return to north of six figures.
That level of attendance is similar to that seen at the same festival three years ago, and while the Galway Racecourse’s track chief executive Michael Moloney appeared optimistic when discussing what that signalled for the event moving forward – he also highlighted the uphill battle horse racing was facing as fans become more selective with how and where they spend their pound.
“We are preparing for a crowd number in that region again (2019),” he said.
“I think it is very hard to know. Our ticket sales are quite strong. They would be significantly ahead of where we were at this stage in 2019.
“But I think people’s habits have changed during Covid and it’s hard to know how much of that uplift in pre-sales is due to the person who would normally pay on the day now buying a ticket.
“Attendance figures are obviously very significant. What we need is people through the gate. But we have to be realistic as well and look at sporting events up and down the country and in the UK.”
Moloney noted that he struggles to find a sporting event anywhere in the UK and Ireland that has surpassed its 2019 figures in recent months.
“To say that we’re going to buck the trend of everybody else would be foolish to me,” he said.
For those attending what is otherwise known as ‘race week’, the Galway Races’ standout attractions are predicted to be the strongest they have trotted out for a number of years. In what is considered to be the preeminent fixture on the agenda, the Galway Plate takes place on the Wednesday of the meeting.
This year boasts an immensely competitive and open field which consists of elite horses, jockeys and trainers in exceptional form. Although Fire Attack established himself as the early favourite, there are many other entries that will be hard to look past when punters make their Galway races betting tips.
On the Thursday, the prestigious Galway Hurdle will take centre-stage. With ten entries in the race, plenty of fans will be watching on with a keen eye as to how trainer Willie Mullins fares in the two-mile race.
The Galway Races Summer Festival will start on Monday, July 25th and conclude on Sunday, July 31st.
