TOTE Ireland, which has been synonymous with the Galway Plate for the best part of a decade, will once again have a strong presence next week. Indeed, the company, which has greatly expanded its sponsorship of Irish racing over the past 12 months, views Ballybrit as its flagship meeting of the entire year. In terms of size and scale, planning for the week-long festival begins almost as soon as the curtain comes down on the previous year.

“We will have somewhere in the region of 220 staff at the racecourse throughout the week,” says Ross Kierans, general manager of Tote Ireland. “After adding in back office, support and promotional staff, we will have close on 300 people supporting the festival.”