Everything you need to know about the Galway Races Summer Festival 2021

Brought to you by Horse Racing Ireland

The Galway Races Summer Festival returns later this month for a week of live action racing.

Running from Monday 26 July to Sunday 1 August, the Galway Races Summer Festival traditionally draws hundreds of thousands of people from all over Ireland and worldwide. This year, however, only a small number of people will be attending the races in Galway, while the majority of us will be tuning in at home. Featuring 52 races over the course of seven days, the iconic event will feature live racing across seven days and will host some of the country's top horses and jockeys. This year, you can tune into the live coverage all week long on RTÉ, Racing TV or TG4. Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) will also be sharing some exclusive behind the scenes footage on their socials, so it's well worth keeping an eye on those too. There's over €1.8 million in prize money to be won throughout the week, and each day offers a feature race with a minimum prize value of €100,000, so it's sure to be an exciting week for racing fans everywhere. The festival's first seven races will take place on Monday 26 July. One of the highlights of the week is sure to be the historic Galway Plate, a valuable handicap chase that takes places on Wednesday 28 July. It's run over a distance of 2 miles 6 furlongs 111 yds, with a round of fourteen fences to jump in total. Check out the video below to hear Danny Mulllins' thoughts on this year's Galway Plate. Following that, another highly-anticipated race is the Galway Hurdle, taking place on the Thursday afternoon. One of the most anticipated National Hunt races in the calendar, it runs over a minimum distance of two miles and boasts a prizes fund of €300,000. The team at Galway Races will also be supporting the Irish Horse Welfare Trust during race week. The Irish Horse Welfare Trust is Irelands largest, longest running dedicated equine charity, providing specialist care for Thoroughbred horses. You can donate here and find out more about the Irish Horse Welfare Trust in the video below. You can find more information on this year's festival here. Galway Races Summer Festival taking place from 26 July – 1 August. The week-long, world-renowned Galway Races Summer Festival is the Irish racing festival everyone wants to go to. Fans are encouraged to tune into the live TV coverage across the weekend and follow @HRIRacing on social media for exclusive behind the scenes footage and live racing action. For more information visit our website. Brought to you by Horse Racing Ireland