Successful festival on cards as UK entries and corporate bookings are up

TWELVE months ago John Moloney would have been forgiven for performing a rain dance with a difference in the parade ring. The skies had opened during the Galway summer festival and there was water everywhere.

It was no time for the old Indian ritual of taking to dancing in the hope of ending the harsh droughts on the plains as Galway racecourse had the opposite problem in 2012. Too much rain had hit the track and it was a testing time for staff, punters and trainers alike.

Moloney, however, wasn’t tempted to kick his heels in frustration and hardly batted an eyelid at the extreme weather conditions. There was no sense of panic or impulsive decision-making from the track’s long serving manager. Contingency plans were drawn up, rails were moved, poached ground was repaired and the marathon race meeting was run off on schedule.

Ironically, up to the past of couple of days, Galway has been dealing with vastly contrasting circumstances in the run up to the 2013 festival – a heatwave, leading to intensive watering of the track over a 14 day period before ceasing earlier this week

Four millimetres of rain fell at the track on Tuesday but Moloney reported that the ground was still good, good to firm in places, the following morning. Though the weather forecast is for some shower activity and for conditions to become fresher next week, he is optimistic that the meeting will start on good ground.

Last April and early May, staff carried out an extensive drainage programme over ten acres which has improved soakage considerably, particularly in critical areas of the track. “There is a great covering of grass and I have never seen the course looking so well. Gerry Broderick and the lads have done a terrific job,” said Moloney.

Ballybrit’s range of facilities have long since put many other racecourses to shame, but Galway continues to carry out significant improvements virtually year on year. Since 2012, a new entrance building has been erected at the rear of the grandstands, while rubber matting has been installed in the parade ring for walkways and ease of movement around the presentation area.

Furthermore, the Corrib Bar and Panoramic Restaurant at the top of the Millennium Stand have undergone an extensive renovation which also embraces a striking new glass-fronted viewing area which will greatly enhance spectators’ perception of the racecourse.

Moloney is delighted to report that corporate bookings for the country’s most popular race meeting are running 30% ahead of last year and judging from the overall level of pre-festival enquiries, he is optimistic that the total attendance for the seven days can top last year’s figure of 132,215.

For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.