WITH a stiffer hill to climb than Cheltenham, more races and meetings to get stuck into than Royal Ascot and some of the most competitive handicaps you’ll find anywhere in the calendar, the Galway Festival represents a proper challenge for anyone attempting to find winners.

A track where a low draw over shorter distances can prove particularly important - and where hard-luck stories are a regular occurrence - punters need to show some patience with their betting over the course of the week given there are over 50 races across seven days.