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QUIZ: How much do you know about the Galway Races?

Are you a safe bet or a dark horse?
15.9k
7

Donagh Meyler onboard Lord Scoundrel comes home to win Ryan Byrne / INPHO Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO

IT’S IRELAND’S BIGGEST, most nail-biting, nerve-wracking and incredibly exciting horse racing event, and over 100,000 people attend it each year.

Whether it’s a little flutter, a shot at winning Ladies’ Day or just some good, clean craic you’re chasing after, the Galway Races are an unforgettable week for horse racing fans and first-timers alike.

Sure, even the Pope has been.

See how much you really know about the infamous racing festival in our quiz below.

1. Here's a (seemingly) easy one, when was the first ever day of the Galway Races?
Shutterstock
Tuesday, 17th of August 1869
Monday, 26th of July 1870

Wednesday, 26th of July 1871
Monday, 28th of June 1875
2. In what year did the Galway Races become a week-long event?
INPHO/Morgan Treacy
2001
1991

2010
1999
3. Why was the pub underneath the Corrib Stand, built in 1955, so famous?
INPHO/Cathal Noonan
It is the go-to bar after a win
At one stage it was (anecdotally) the world's longest bar

It's where the first ever bet at the Galway Races took place
It's the only place indoors at Ballybrit that you can see the full racecourse from
4. How many people do you reckon attended the Galway Races last year?
INPHO/Morgan Treacy
127,411
118,338

138,945
110,718
5. What was the name of the most successful ever horse in the Galway Plate?
INPHO/Ryan Byrne
Ansar
Tipperary Boy

Life of a Lord
Lord Scoundrel
6. In 1987 and 1989 there were two records set for the Galway Plate. What were the records?
INPHO/Ryan Byrne
The horses were the heaviest ever winners that year
Both years broke the existing record for fastest ever time

It was the first time ever that a female trainer and female jockey won
The horses were the oldest ever winners that year
7. What was so unusual about the 1961 Galway Hurdle?
Rolling News
It was the first year that the course was 3,219 metres long
It was the first year that horses had to be four or older

It was a dead heat and there were two winners
The horse tipped to win fell in the final two metres
8. Which esteemed Irish poet famously wrote a poem about the Galway Races?
INPHO/Ryan Byrne
James Joyce
WB Yeats

Samuel Beckett
Patrick Kavanagh
Answer all the questions to see your result!
INPHO/James Cromby
You scored out of !
You're a little rusty when it comes to racing.
Your racing knowledge is a little rusty but that doesn't mean you don't know how to enjoy yourself at the races. There's more to life than winning, after all.
Share your result:
INPHO/Ryan Byrne
You scored out of !
You're no Ted Walsh, but you've been known to win a bet or two.
You might not have insider info on every trainer, but you certainly know which horse is worth its salt in the most important races. You're no newbie when it comes to the Galway Races.
Share your result:
INPHO/Lorraine O\'Sullivan
You scored out of !
You're an absolute pro.
JP McManus has nothing on you. You know your plates from your hurdles and you could make quite a bet at the Galway Races with all your killer know-how. Pick your bankers now before the bookies raise their odds.
Share your result:

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