The Qatar Goodwood Festival hogs the British racing headlines as July turns to August, but it isn’t the only multi-day racing marvel on show. Over in Ireland, we have the small matter of the annual Galway Festival jamboree, which takes Goodwood’s five-day running time and raises it by two.
Offering a mix of flat and National Hunt action and excellent prize money, the seven-day bonanza serves as a beacon for the leading Irish yards. Included in that number is the master of Cullentra House, Gordon Elliott, who, as ever, sent a vast squadron of talent to the event.
Over the first four days of the meeting, most of Elliott’s arrows missed their respective targets. Elliott sent out 25 runners between Monday and Thursday – 16 of whom finished outside the first three. However, Elliott chose opportune moments to strike, with two of his three winners coming in the meeting’s headline contests.
Fold to the Fore in the Galway Plate
Having claimed the Day 3 feature with Lord Scoundrel (2016), Clarcam (2018), Borice (2019), and Ash Tree Meadow (2023), Elliott is no stranger to Galway Plate success. The Gold Cup-winning handler left little to chance in 2025 as he sent seven in pursuit of the €159,300 first-place prize.
Sent off at 7/1, the JP McManus-owned Downmemorylane was the most fancied of the Elliott seven but finished last of those who completed the course. The six-year-old Western Fold fared much better.
Having displayed significant ability during a novice hurdle campaign, which included wide margin wins at Gowran Park and Down Royal, this son of Westerner took some time to find his feet over fences. However, the penny dropped in a Beginners Chase at Tipperary in May, and he backed that up with a comfortable success in the Mayo National last time out.
When the flag went down, Western Fold was one of those to emerge unscathed from a start labelled “a joke” by rider Jack Kennedy. Travelling nicely in second throughout, he powered four-and-a-half lengths clear after the last for a resounding victory. Two-time Galway Hurdle runner-up Jessie Evans took second for Noel Meade, with another Elliott runner, Shecouldbeanything, in third.
This represented a career-best effort for Western Fold, who, in shouldering 11st10lb, carried the most weight to Galway Plate victory since Ansar in 2005. 19-year-old rider Danny Gilligan added to his incredible record in the race, having won in 2023 and finished second in 2024.
Ndaawi Gets There in the Stewards Room
While Elliott has enjoyed many a happy Galway Plate, the Galway Hurdle has provided nothing but near misses and frustration. Flaxen Flare (2013), Bayan (2014), Due Reward (2019), and Ndaawi (2024) all filled the runner-up spot, but a first victory in the 2m contest remained elusive. Perhaps 2025 would be the year.
Not so mob-handed as in the Plate, Elliott sent four to post, headed by 2024 runner-up, Ndaawi, who looked to have his work cut out off an 11lb higher mark. Despite that hefty rise in the handicap, Ndaawi ran a mighty race, albeit one which looked set to result in yet another second-place finish. Going at it hammer and tongs with Helvic Dream up the run-in, he crossed the line a head adrift of the Noel Meade runner.
Revenge for Meade following the second-place effort of Jessie Evans in the Plate? Not for long. Upon review, Helvic Dream was adjudged to have interfered significantly with Ndaawi in a manner that materially affected the result. Following an agonising wait for both trainers, the announcement came that the placings had been reversed, handing Elliott an elusive first Galway Hurdle victory and a famous double at one of the biggest meetings of the Irish racing year.
To claim the Galway Plate and Galway Hurdle in the same year is a rare feat – so rare that no trainer had accomplished it since 1978. The last man to do so? None other than legendary handler Edward O’Grady, who sadly passed away on the eve of the 2025 Galway Festival.