One of Ireland’s premier festivals of the season is underway, with trainers and jockeys flocking to Ballybrit for the Summer Festival.
Seven days of racing and music will take over Galway from 27 July to 2 August, with the famous course drawing crowds of over 130,000 every year.
Fifty-four races are on the cards in 2026, and with over €2 million in prize money to be won, each event promises to be a thriller. Those attending will be looking for potential winners that could be worth placing a wager on, and checking out the latest Galway races tips is a good place to start.
Most eyes, though, will be on the two showpiece events of the week – Wednesday’s Galway Plate and Thursday’s Galway Hurdle. Who is leading the way in the ante-post markets?
Willie Mullins’ Funiculi Funicula looking for Galway Plate win
No Irish trainer is more dominant in National Hunt events than Willie Mullins, and he will be confident that he can dominate at Galway once again and claim the Leading Trainer award.
His horse, Funiculi Funicula, is the current favourite for the Galway Plate with odds of 6/1, having shown strong form of late.
Consecutive wins at Cork and Punchestown, along with a second-place finish at Gowran Park at the start of 2026, have put the six-year-old in front of the field for the two-mile, six-and-a-half-furlong handicap.
A win for Funiculi Funicula would mark Mullins’ third win in the Plate, and his first since 2021 when Royal Rendezvous finished first.
But while Mullins is considered the king of Irish National Hunt racing, no trainer has been more successful in the Plate than Gordon Elliott. Five wins, including last year when Western Fold won by nearly five lengths, highlight his prowess at Ballybrit, and Nowwhatdoyouthink is considered to be another contender for the prize at 8/1.
Henry de Bromhead will be hoping for a first win in the Plate since 2017, and the 53-year-old trainer has three contenders in the form of Downmexicoway, Gorgeous Tom and Nouvotic. All three are priced at 10/1 and bigger, as is Gavin Cromwell-trained Will The Wise, who picked up a win at Galway in October 2025 in the Rated Novice Chase. Most recently winning at Aintree in the Handicap Chase, his form and history on the course make him one to watch.
Mullins and Elliott go head-to-head in Hurdle too
Historically, Elliott has held an edge in the Plate while Mullins has set the pace in the Hurdle, winning on six occasions. But in 2026, it seems as though the situation has flipped, as the former’s horse, El Cairos, is considered to be the favourite at 9/2, while Mullins’ leading contender, Murcia, has been priced at 6/1.
Neither, however, has shown the strongest form heading into the Hurdle, winning just one of their last five outings but arguably El Cairos is a class above handicap level.
While Murcia narrowly lost out by half a length to Run for Mahler at Killarney recently, El Cairos finished fifth at Cheltenham and fourth at Punchestown.
Elliott believes that the Galway Hurdle is a race the six-year-old is well-suited for, but whether a three-month break since his last race will improve his fortunes remains to be seen.
Puturhandstogether will be leading the charge for Joseph Patrick O’Brien and looking to bounce back from a disappointing 16th-place finish at Ascot. But at 10/1, 2025 Galway Hurdle winner Ndaawi could be worth backing, especially after recording consecutive victories at Cork and Listowel.
