Ladies Day

€13,000 Cash Bonanza On Offer for our 2024 Best Dressed Lady and Best Hat Competitions, generously sponsored by The Connacht Hospitality Group.

“The secret of great style is to feel good in what you wear”, Inés de la Fressange

Widely renowned as ‘Ladies Day’ at the Galway Races Summer Festival, Thursday combines the very best in horse racing and stunning fashion.  The first of eight national hunt races takes place at 2.10pm. Thursday features the much sought after Galway Hurdle Handicap race with an impressive prize fund of €250,000 on offer. One of the biggest days in the Irish Racing calendar, this event is also an unmissable day out for fashion lovers.

Regarded as Ireland’s largest horse racing festival, the iconic Galway Races  boasts superb horse racing, hospitality, entertainment with Live Bands and DJ’s daily, stunning fashion and an electric atmosphere that continues to draw people from Ireland and abroad to experience the sheer magic and infectious fun atmosphere that we are famous for!

Music Line Up – Thursday

This year Galway Races present to you its biggest music line up yet! Over the seven days of the Galway Races Summer Festival we have over fifty live music performances and entertainers booked. On Thursday enjoy music from:

• The Gamblers
• Jason Fallon and Band
• Bongo Steve
• Rhythm Train DJ Set
• Michelle Lally
• DJ Doc
• The Galway Tenors

LADIES DAY 2024

The Connacht Hospitality Group will sponsor both the Best Dressed Lady competition with a €10,000 cash prize, and €3,000 to the winner of the Best Hat. Based in Galway City, the Connacht Hospitality Group  is a family run Galway business that comprises of three hotels (The Connacht Hotel, Hyde Hotel and The Residence Hotel), three bars (Hyde Bar, An Púcán and 1520 Bar), Galway Bay Golf Resort and Active 24 Fitness.  The group prides themselves on quality hospitality, friendly customer service and creating unique experiences.

On The Day…

• 11.15am: turnstiles open
• 11..30am – 3pm: Judging takes place from 11.30am  with the winner announced after 3pm.
• Dedicated Lady’s Day marquee to be located outside the Champagne Bar (The Wilson Lynch Building).
• Judging the Best Dressed Lady competitions on the day is Head Judge, well-known stylist Mandy Maher who will be joined by fellow judge Kieran O’Malley, Digital Marketing Manager for the Connacht Hospitality Group  and a new addition to the panel, name to be revealed very soon!!! But can we say, she is FABULOUS!

HOW TO GET SELECTED?

• The Galway Races has a long held tradition of selecting ladies here on site. Our judges pick you from the crowd and hand you the hotly sought after ‘finalist badge’;
• Ladies can now pre-register for Ladies Day via our website the morning of the event (from 7am – 11am), by uploading a photograph of them in their outfit and their details. They must be here on the day to get selected. The judges receive your entry & should you be selected as a finalist, a member of the judging team will phone you. 
• We have also lengthened the time you have to enter the competition, moving the completion time for judging from 1pm to 3pm to give people a chance to make their way to the course and relax and enjoy themselves. We look forward to seeing you all. 

The racecourse offers a wide variety of hospitality experiences. From panoramic views over looking the race track, to more casual fun group packages, we can offer you a variety of experiences, be it with friends or colleagues. Our all-inclusive ‘Festival Package’ at €40 per person is ideal and very popular for large groups [minimum booking of 10 people applies for group packages]. We look forward to welcoming you and your friends. See you in Ballybrit!

NEW: The Parade Ring Lounge

It’s All About The Location! Prices start from just €25 per person.

Located in a prime position beside the Weight Room. The Parade Ring Lounge offers our race goers an elevated racing experience in a great location beside the parade ring, in which you can enjoy the electric and fun atmosphere that the Galway Races is famous for. Book early to secure your badge for the new Parade Ring Lounge.  Space is limited. Pre-booking strongly advised. Check it out today and book online  Click here.

The Parade Ring Lounge will open as gates open, 2 ½ hours before the first race. Marquee will close one hour after the last race.

What’s included:

• • Parade Ring Lounge Access Badge
  • Viewing area from the Marquee of the Parade Ring
  • Special guest racing tipster to kick off the day’s racing
  • Access to private Tote betting facilities
  • Full cash bar facilities
  • Unreserved informal seating

We look forward to seeing you. Giddy up, we’re off to Galway!

Stay Connected.

Stay in touch with all that’s happening at the Galway Races by tuning into our social media channels via Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. The team in Galway have lots of fun and entertainment planned to keep their fans engaged in the build up to and during the races. Follow us for all the latest updates LIVE as they happen on our social media channels using the hashtags #GalwayRaces #HoldYourHorses

THE GALWAY RACES ANNOUNCE THE ADDITION OF A NEW JUDGE, SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCER RACHEL GORRY, FOR THE SUMMER FESTIVAL ‘BEST DRESSED LADY’ COMPETITION WITH €13,000 CASH ON OFFER, GENEROUSLY SPONSORED BY THE CONNACHT HOSPITALITY GROUP.

With less than seven weeks to go to Ireland’s leading horse racing festival, Galway Racecourse is delighted to announce a new guest judge, Rachel Gorry, popular social media influencer, for the Galway Races Summer Festival ‘Best Dressed Lady’ and ‘Best Hat’ competitions that take place on Thursday 3^rd August, ‘Guinness Galway Hurdle Day’ during the seven-day Summer Festival. This promises to be one of the biggest days in the Irish racing calendar, and an unmissable day out for fashion lovers, with a generous cash bonanza of €13,000 on offer sponsored by The Connacht Hospitality Group.

Commenting on the upcoming Galway Races, Rachel Gorry said, “I’m delighted to be Guest judge for this year’s Galway Races Summer Festival for the Best Dressed and Best Hat competitions. I have such a love for fashion myself so really looking forward to seeing all the style during the festival and especially on Ladies’ Day”.

Judging the Best Dressed Lady competitions on the day is Head Judge and well-known stylist Mandy Maher who will be joined by fellow judge Kieran O’Malley Digital Marketing Manager for the Connacht Hospitality Group. Commenting on this exciting news, Mandy Maher said, “I am super excited to be back this year as Head Judge at the Galway Races.  If the fashion is anything like last year, all I can say is roll on the 3^rd of August”.

For the second year running, The Connacht Hospitality Group will sponsor both the Best Dressed Lady competition with a €10,000 cash prize, and €3,000 to the winner of the Best Hat. Based in Galway City, The Connacht Hospitality Group is a family run Galway business that comprises of three hotels (The Connacht Hotel, Hyde Hotel and The Residence Hotel), three bars (Hyde Bar, An Púcán and 1520 Bar), Galway Bay Golf Resort and Active 24 Fitness.  The group prides themselves on quality hospitality, friendly customer service and creating unique experiences.

Commenting on the new sponsorship deal, Chief Executive of Galway Racecourse Michael Moloney said, “we are delighted to welcome Rachel Gorry as a guest judge for this year’s Best Dressed Lady competition. Rachel is a hugely respected social media influencer known for her engaging content focused on family, home, fashion, and motherhood. It’s great to have her as part of our team for the Summer Festival. Ladies Day is our most stylish day of the festival and last year we introduced some welcomed changes to the day itself, including lengthening the time you have to enter the competition, moving the completion time for judging from 1pm to 3pm to give people a chance to make their way to the course and relax and enjoy themselves, while also introducing a pre-registration for ladies who might not get spotted on the day but still want to enter the competition. They can now enter on the morning of Ladies Day online via our website, upload their outfit details and a photograph. Lots of welcomed improvements that went down well with our customers. We’re delighted to have the team from The Connacht Hospitality Group on-board for their second year running. They’re innovative, focused on the customer experience and have their finger on the pulse. We couldn’t have asked for a better partner for this event. We’re thrilled. Roll on July!”

Commenting on their sponsorship, Eveanna Ryan, Group Marketing and Innovation Manager for The Connacht Hospitality Group said, “for us as a group our partnership with the Galway Races continues to be one of the most important brand alignments on our calendar as well as a key driver of business for Galway Tourism. Last year exceeded even our highest expectations and we are so excited to welcome Rachel Gorry to the festival, we know she will be an amazing addition to Mandy and Kieran on the judging panel”.

Widely regarded as the highlight of the Summer Season in Ireland, the Galway Races takes place from Monday 31^st July to Sunday 6^th August, and looks forward to welcoming its many loyal race goers back to Ballybrit for one amazing week that offers you great horse racing, entertainment, fashion, reunions with friends and family and an electric fun atmosphere that continues to draw people from all over the world. To book your ticket to this year’s Galway Races check out www.galwayraces.com See you in Galway!