Francis Hyland has stood at Galway for over 40 years and has witnessed fundamental changes during that time. “The profile of people attending the Festival, or indeed racing in general, has changed greatly over the past 20 years. There are now far less punters among the crowd and the betting ring is no longer what it once was.”

Hyland explains how there are many more opportunities for punters to bet than was the case when he started out:- “in the early days punters had to come racing in order to have a bet, later they could place bets in the shops but now they are spoiled for choice, with overnight and morning prices, internet and phone betting and the exchanges. With so many outlets available to the average punter, they can place a variety of bets without ever being anywhere near Ballybrit.”

Hyland has many fond memories and stories from Galway, with one in particular standing out. “There was a particular bookmaker very keen to stand the favourite in one race - so much so, that he went bigger than the other layers and was prepared to take all the money that was coming his way. When a colleague asked why he was so eager to take on his horse, he expressed the opinion that the horse wouldn’t stay the distance. Armed with this information, his fellow bookmaker also took on the horse, who proceeded to win by half the track! Minutes after the race, the second bookmaker walked past the first and said “I wouldn’t like to see him when he gets his distance!”

Ray Mulvaney hails from a well-known racing family and has two pitches at Ballybrit. Having spent a number of years working with his uncle Seamus, he started out on his own five years ago.

Mulvaney has little doubt that Galway is the high point of the year for his business. “It’s the biggest gig of the whole year for us, closely followed by Punchestown and Listowel. The ring is very strong over the course of the seven days and the city comes alive for race week.” The bookmaker believes that in the last 12 months the economy has turned the corner, so much so, that he is expecting the return of some big punters next week. “There definitely seems to be more cash out there than has been the case and I believe we will see evidence of that at Galway during Festival week.”

Both Ray and his uncle Seamus lay horses at the away meetings, a move that hit them particularly hard during last year’s Galway Festival: “Glorious Goodwood is on the same week as Galway and normally the Irish punters can’t get enough of the Bolger and O’Brien horses. However, last year, Mick Winters sent Missunited over for a Group 3 Stakes race and the Galway crowd really got behind her. It seemed to us as if everyone at the track had backed her and the queues to collect post-race were as big as I have ever seen at the Festival. The win hit us really hard, resulting in one of the biggest payouts we have seen.”

Brian Graham first attended the Festival with his father, back when it was run over four days. Since then the meetings has grown to such an extent that it now lasts for a full week.

The Belfast man feels that while the crowds have remained consistent over the years, there is a definite change in focus, with Thursday and Friday now the biggest days.

“Galway Plate day was always the big one but recently Ladies Day on Thursday and the Friday evening meeting have overtaken the Wednesday in terms of popularity. Racing has become a great social occasion and the crowds really turn out towards the latter part of the week.”

Graham feels that Galway strikes the right balance when it comes to race planning - catering for the punters’ wishes with mixed cards that include both flat and jumps racing.

He has little doubt as to what Festival memory stands out for him - Magic Combination winning for Barney Curley at the 1999 Festival: “I got slated in the papers for not laying a fellow bookmaker €45k to €20k but I stood by my decision at the time and would do the same if the race were run today! The horse arrived in Galway with six or seven duck eggs to its name but had shown decent form for Kevin Prendergast over here and I was as aware of it as anyone else on track. He was probably the biggest certainty that ever ran at the Festival and won hard held on the bridle.

“As a bookmaker I am entitled to refuse a bet, just as a punter does not have to place one. On that occasion I feel I made the right decision and I never had any regrets.”

Richard Gernon has been standing in the Galway ring for over 35 years and believes the Festival is unquestionably the best on the Irish circuit.

“The quality of horse that runs at Galway, both National Hunt and on the flat, is second to none. Over the years we have seen some high class performers win at the Festival. The last two Galway Plate winners were very decent animals, while numerous Group 2/3 winners and even the odd Group 1 winner started their careers at Ballybrit.”

Gernon believes that the meeting offers a level playing field, where the big man and small man can compete against each other. He points to the success of Michael Winters in recent seasons, claiming back to back Galway Hurdles.

The bookmaker has fond memories of his early days, betting “outside” the ring in Galway, a dying tradition in his opinion. “When I started off, I bet on the inside track, where people parked. In those days some huge bets were taken on those pitches, where punters could watch the races without having to pay admittance. My grandfather had the number one pitch on the “outside” and refused to move in to the ring itself. There used to be an outside betting ring at all the major Irish festivals but nowadays only Bellewstown and Galway maintain the tradition.”

Justin Carthy has been going to Galway for over 26 years and believes it creates a special buzz like no other Festival.

“The build-up is one of the most exciting things about Galway - everyone has it in the back of their mind and you hear people saying “only a month to Galway” or “only two weeks to Galway”. Everyone wants to have a winner at this meeting, be it trainer, owner or jockey.” Carthy has seen some major gambles landed at the track over the years and credits Charles Byrnes with being the orchestrator of many of the larger ones.

Like Ray Mulvaney, the win of Missunited last year also hit him very hard: “A few minutes before the race one of the lads came up to me and said ‘boss, if this wins we might need to get some cash’!”

Although the bookmaker’s abiding memory of Galway did occur in the betting ring, it actually had nothing to do with racing. “One night a couple of years back the track was hit by a very bad storm – I never saw anything like it in my life. A big pylon blew up in the centre of the course and one of the computers exploded in the back of the pitch. I don’t think anyone that was in attendance that night will ever forget it. It is certainly one of those Galway stories that will continue to be recalled for years to come.”