It's Galway like we've never known: where the horses matter more than the hooley

Of all the places; of all the weeks; of all the occasions; it was this seven-day soap opera that was always going to be the hardest to watch from afar.

Galway, you see, was never built to be a ghost town. There is usually a layer of lava waiting to erupt if Dermot Weld wins a maiden; or if a JP McManus 'plot' picks up the Plate. A booming roar that can reach Shop Street in the city if the price is short enough. The silence this week will be deafening.

Yes, this was always going to be the week when the new normal hit home. The Derby we could deal with; the Guineas too, but bolting up the door at Ballybrit? How do you expect us to have a party without any cake, or candles, or drink, or music, or people?

Still, the banquet at Ballybrit goes ahead because, basically, we need to collect all the money inside the birthday cards.

So now, for one week only, the horses matter more than the hooley at Galway. Who would have ever thought it would come to this?

The busy betting ring on Galway Plate day last yearCredit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

It is about Sharjah, not champagne. It is about whether Tudor City can become the first back-to-back winner of the Guinness Galway Hurdle since Pinch Hitter in 1983. It is wondering if a maiden could contain a couple of future Classic winners. It is figuring out whether Galvin is a fabulous or ridiculous price in the Plate? Could he even be the reincarnation of Carlingford Lough or Road To Riches, a multiple Grade 1 winner in waiting?

Good horses do win at Galway, you know. Even really good ones.

Legatissimo won the 7f fillies maiden before going on to win the 1,000 Guineas the following year. Runaway Coronation Stakes winner Alpine Star saw off Irish Derby winner Santiago in a maiden here last year. Capri, an Irish Derby and St Leger hero, beat subsequent Melbourne Cup winner Rekindling here too. Annie Power won a bumper for Jim Bolger. Grey Swallow. Go And Go. Dance Design. Hermosa. Wicklow Brave. I could go on and on and on.

So, now you know. Galway is not just a big party. It is not just about the frocks and the frolics. It is not about how many pints you can swallow before the bars close. It is not just about seeing the same old faces in the same old places. It will be about all that again but, for now, the horses will have to entertain you.

Quite how entertaining the two divisions of the 50-80 handicap over seven furlongs will be is up for debate and Ruby Walsh and Jane Mangan will earn their wages trying to make them as interesting as possible on RTE.

These were the type of races the crowds always camouflaged. The roaring up the home straight made you feel like the horses were running a lot faster than they were and fighting over a lot more money.

Four of the horses contesting the first race live on RTE at 5.15 have never won a race before, and might never open their accounts. That never mattered before because of the atmosphere, but it might matter now.

Still, best not to be too downbeat about the whole thing. It is not very often you see a Champion Hurdle runner-up running in July, so the presence of Sharjah in the Connacht Hotel Handicap (6.45) for qualified riders is something to look forward too.

He will probably win, but Patrick Mullins will not be counting his chickens until he has crossed the line as Aubrey McMahon has developed the canny knack of passing him late on a stablemate. He won it in 2017 and again in 2018 and is on Foveros this time, although he is only a reserve and needs something to come out.

Welcome to Galway 2020, everybody. You never know, it might not be as bad as you think. At least you won't wake up with a hangover.

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