AS excitement builds for the 51st Guinness-sponsored Galway Races, Guinness has created an emotive short film which beautifully captures the significant role that the unsung heroes of the horse racing community play in making their sport extraordinary.

Entitled ‘Behind Every Great Horse’, the film provides an insight into the passion, tireless dedication and work that is undertaken by the teams of people involved in the horse racing industry, from daily life on a horse training yard to the preparation that goes into a major race meeting by racecourse staff.

As is widely acknowledged by owners, trainers and jockeys throughout Ireland, it’s the people behind the scenes that are the silent champions of the horse racing world.

Featuring scenes from the Athenry horse training yard of well-known Galway trainer, Val O’ Brien, the film captures the strong relationship between horse and human, from the stable jockeys who go on daily dawn rides on the gallops, to those who care for the horses in the stable yard, to the specialist horse farrier who tends to the horses’ hooves and shoes.

“We are proud to feature in the film as a yard that is representative of the many stables and yards throughout Ireland that have the same goal as ourselves, which is to bring out the potential in every horse”, said Val O’ Brien.

The famous Ballybrit racecourse and its staff, feature prominently in the film as they prepare for their renowned July race meeting.