Galway in style

PLANNING a day at the Galway Races with friends?

Flannery’s Hotel on the Old Dublin Road, just a few minutes from the racecourse, is an ideal meeting place. You can park the car, have some refreshments and be driven to the track by coach.

The hotel has put together a couple of pre-race brunch options, which include the mandatory glass of prosecco. These special packages run from Monday to Friday of race week. The bus departs from the hotel at 3.15pm sharp on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, and at 1pm sharp on Thursday. Brunch is served from noon each day (or as early as 11am on Thursday). There’s even a jazz band to get you in the mood.

If you’re still looking for accommodation you’re in luck. Flannery’s Hotel has an exclusive offer for readers of The Irish Field.

Book before July 19th and quote ‘race ready’ and you can enjoy a complimentary breakfast and a free upgrade to a superior deluxe room.

THE Irish Horse Welfare Trust in Wicklow will stage its open day on Saturday, August 3rd and you are invited to go along. It will run from 11am to 4pm with lots on offer including guided tours, games, music, a dog show and refreshments. Pets are welcome too.

Based in Woodenbridge outside Arklow, the IHWT is a charity which works to help the plight of neglected horses by rehabilitating and rehoming them.

Open day visitors will have the opportunity to meet rescue horses and ponies along with some retiring racehorses, including the legendary Sizing Europe and the ‘magical’ Curly the Unicorn who was once a resident rescue himself.

You can learn more about the IHWT by listening to The Irish Field’s podcast with the charity’s CEO Sharon Power, which was released this week.

Web: ihwt.ie

‘Reality racing’ on ITV 1

THE much-hyped Champions Full Gallop series finally hits television screens next Friday (July 19th) at 9pm on ITV 1. Described as “a gripping must-watch docuseries that offers unmatched access to the sport’s biggest names” the show features “exclusive access to Harry Cobden and Sean Bowen as they fight it out for the jockeys’ championship title as well as Dan Skelton and Paul Nicholls as they battle to hold off Willie Mullins for the trainers’ title.” Spoiler alert: Willie wins.