The Galway Hurdle is a
National Hunt
In horse racing in the United Kingdom, France and Republic of Ireland, National Hunt racing requires horses to jump fences and ditches. National Hunt racing in the UK is informally known as "jumps" and is divided into two major distinct branches: ...
hurdle race in Ireland which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at
Galway
Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a city in the West of Ireland, in the province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay, and is the sixth most populous city on ...
over a distance of about 2 miles (2 miles and 11 yards, or 3,229 metres), and during its running there are nine hurdles to be jumped. It is a
handicap race, and it is scheduled to take place each year in late July or early August.
The event is held during the seven-day
Galway Festival meeting. It was established in 1913, and the inaugural running was won by ''Red Damsel''. For the first six years it was contested over 1½ miles. The race is now sponsored by
Guinness.
Records
Most successful horse since 1988 (2 wins):
* ''Tudor City (2019,2022)''
Leading
jockey since 1988 (3 wins):
* Patrick Mullins - ''Sharjah (2018), Aramon (2020), Saldier (2021)''
Leading
trainer since 1988 (5 wins):
*
Willie Mullins
William Peter Mullins (born 15 September 1956) is an Irish racehorse trainer and former jockey.
Career
He commenced racehorse training in 1988 having previously worked as an assistant to his father Paddy Mullins and Jim Bolger. Willie is a fo ...
– ''Mystical City (1996), Clondaw Warrior (2016), Sharjah (2018), Aramon (2020), Saldier (2021)''
Winners since 1988
* ''Weights given in
stone
In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its Chemical compound, chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks ...
s and
pounds''
Earlier winners
* 1913 – Red Damsel
* 1950 – Lady's Find
* 1951 – Wye Fly
* 1952 – Warrenscourt Lad
* 1953 – Prince of Devon
* 1954 – Cloudless Days
* 1955 – Antigue II
* 1956 – Ivy Green
* 1957 – Tymon Castle
* 1958 –
Knight Errant
A knight-errant (or knight errant) is a figure of medieval chivalric romance literature. The adjective ''errant'' (meaning "wandering, roving") indicates how the knight-errant would wander the land in search of adventures to prove his chivalric v ...
* 1959 – Cashel View
* 1960 –
Commutering
* 1961 – Cynge Noir / Newgrove *
* 1962 –
Tripacer
* 1963 – Snow Trix
* 1964 – Extra Stout
* 1965 – Ticonderoga
* 1966 – Warkey
* 1967 –
Muir
"Muir" is the Scots word for "moorland", and Scots Gaelic for "sea", and is the etymological origin of the surname and Clan Muir/Mure/Moore in Scotland and other parts of the world.
Places United States
* Muir, Willits, California, a former unin ...
* 1968 – Annalong
* 1969 – Bonne
* 1970 – Dictora
* 1971 – Highway View
* 1972 – Hardboy
* 1973 – Lesabelle
* 1974 – Just for Fun
* 1975 – Double Default / Spanner *
* 1976 – Negrada
* 1977 –
Paddy Bouler
* 1978 – Prince Tammy
* 1979 – Hard Tarquin
* 1980 –
Pearlstone
* 1981 – Double Wrapped
* 1982 – Pinch Hitter
* 1983 – Pinch Hitter
* 1984 – Tara Lee
* 1985 – Strathline
* 1986 –
Rushmoor
Rushmoor is a local government district and borough in Hampshire, England. It covers the towns of Aldershot and Farnborough as well as Cove and North Camp.
It was formed on 1 April 1974 by the merger of the borough of Aldershot and the Farnbo ...
* 1987 – Belsir
* The 1961 race was a dead-heat and has joint winners.
* There were two winners in 1975 as the race was split into separate divisions.
See also
*
Horse racing in Ireland
Horse racing in Ireland is intricately linked with Irish culture and society. The racing of horses has a long history on the island, being mentioned in some of the earliest texts. Domestically, racing is one of Ireland's most popular spectator ...
*
List of Irish National Hunt races
References
*
Racing Post:
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** , , {{Racing Post, 763400, 2020, 07, 30, 183
carlow-nationalist.ie– ''"All set for another Ballybrit Bonanza" (2006).''
– ''"History of the Galway Festival".''
timesonline.co.uk– ''"Glorious Galway" (2006).''
National Hunt races in Ireland
National Hunt hurdle races
Recurring events established in 1913
1913 establishments in Ireland
Ballybrit Racecourse