The seven wonders of Galway - including the 25-1 shot who'll be all the rage

Let the craic recommence.

Of all the places, and of all the races, this coming week was the one where crowds were missed most. Galway was lost property during the pandemic. It was a silent disco without any headphones. It was a Bond movie without 007 himself. It was seven days of soullessness. It was, for want of a better word, boring.

Ballybrit was built for bodies and the track's CEO Michael Moloney expects about 130,000 of them to return next week. He will most likely get his wish, too, as Galway revellers are ravenous. They have been starved for two years.