WITH Me Wack Fol De Do, Fol The Diddle Aye Dil Day…and off we went at a steady pace for the 2018 Galway Races on RTE Racing. Tracy, Sally Ann, Tom and Robert contribute in the opening sequence on how the races have a place in the nation’s social calendar, Brian Gleeson adds a bit of Yeats. Delight makes all of the one mind from At the Galway Races.

It’s a good start for gender equality – ahead of the ITV Ascot team anyway with three girls in the front ranks. Jane Mangan, a Galway-winning rider herself and with strong family connections to Ballybrit, recalls Stroll Home and Paul Carberry winning the Plate.

She proves an excellent addition to the team. Her practical knowledge of racing and having ridden Ballybrit, she’s well able to hold her own in among Robert and Ted. The addition of guest presenters to the team this year has been a good move.

Tracy is out and about and the new €6 million Wilson Lynch building looks fabulous. Racing facilities are moving to the modern age. John, the manager in champagne hall, is ready for the off. Michael Moloney tells the story of its naming after Captain John Wilson Lynch, revealing that the races bring €54 million to the city and county.

FAVOURITE

On to the races, and an Easy Game it is, as punters cheer home a 5/4 Ruby Walsh winning favourite. It feels like a long time since we had the pleasure and the no one feels it more than the man himself.

“It’s been a long four and a half months,” he says, acknowledging that it is a “great advantage when you are associated with a yard like that, all my friends, Willie and Jackie and the team, made a hard nine months easy.”

Daddy can you please just try not to break your leg’”.

Even his family want him to take more care. “Gemma’s four and getting out of the car she said ‘Daddy can you please just try not to break your leg’”, he tells Tracy.

After such a weekend, there’s plenty of talk of hurling in the betting ring, Brian meets a proud Limerickman who recalls being at the ‘73 final in short pants. We met Galway legend Noel Lane and friends. Kieran Fitzgerald is poised on Daragh Fitzpatrick’s perch – ‘The Weasel’ as he was apparently christened by Tom Lee.

Ted hails Barry Geraghty as one of the best jockeys of our lifetimes as he beats his trainer Denis Hogan on Storm Rising. It’ll leave some gap when Ruby, Barry and Davy retire, he adds. Kevin McConnell is a joyful owner with Tracy after the win. “Barry gave him some ride… we only bought him handy money.”

Ahead of the Hurling for Cancer we have a Mastermind on hurling with Marty, Davy Russell and Davy Fitz who professes to know “absolutely naathing about racing”. Somehow he sneaks a win. August 14th is the big evening in Newbridge.

Ger Lyons gets another winner in the Juddmonte colours. “They’ve given us 10 horses and I’d like to have 10 winners for them by end of season,” he says.

Jane gives us a bit of an insight to her work with Primus and Coolmore pedigrees, how things are planned from the day they are conceived.

There’s an overdue tribute to Des Scahill, Ted was part of his travels. “We shared beds… we shared the back of cars... broke traffic lights...drove on the footpaths… I know Dessie longer than Mary knows him.”

There’s no happy retirement for this Man Utd fan though. “I’m dreading the thought of the season… no confidence in the team, manager, nothing. There’ll never be another Alex,” Dessie is resigned to his fate.

The climax of the evening is the big amateur handicap and another thrilling win for Aubrey McMahon, foiling his better fancied stable companion Limini. He can barely believe it’s happened again.

“I haven’t been able to sleep all week thinking about riding this fellow. I knew he’d give me a great spin.”

It’s a great ride from well out the back, as cool as James Doyle in the Group 1s.

So one day down – And me eyes began to dazzle, And they off to see the races…