History of the Galway Festival
For those wih an interest in the past, the Galway Festival history is a fascinating one. Incredibly records exist that tell of horse race meetings in Galway as long ago as the 13th century, when ‘horse matches’ were organised under the ‘Kings Plate Articles’. Then in 1764 a horse racing festival took place near Loughrea in County Galway with the feature race being the 'Plate' A century later, the meeting had become more formalised and the feature race by then had become the Western Plate. Its entrants were confined to either those qualified for the National Hunt or the County Galway Hunt.
The first racing festival on the Ballybrit racecourse took place on 17th August 1869 where it is believed 40.000 people turned up to watch. The Ballybrit racecourse that measured one and a half miles long was described as a course that excelled any other course in Ireland for good going. The first festival was staged over two days, with four races on each day, but the main attraction for the huge crowd was the Galway Plate,a steeplechase that carried a prize of 100 ‘Sovs’ and raced over a 2½ miles. This first Galway Plate was won by ‘Absentee’in a thirteen horse field.
The festival became an overnight success and the Galway Plate rapidly became one of the biggest races in Ireland. Improvements to the course were constantly made and reputations earned over the next fifty years.
Liberator won the plate in 1879 and went on to win the Grand national in the same year, but the most famous of all Galway Plate runners was the legendary Tipperary Boy who won the Plate three times, in 1899, 1901 and 1902. The Ussher stables became synonymous with Galway races saddling seven winners and Harry Ussher himself set an unprecendented feat in 1920 of saddling all the winners on ‘Plate’ day except the ‘Plate’ itself. With the advent of radio broadcasting in 1929 the Galway Races received a huge following, the Galway Plate was broadcast live in that year as well as the Irish Derby. These days with TV coverage, corporate sponsorship and a seven day meeting, the Festival has become one of the sporting highlights of the Irish Calendar year. It also is one of the biggest betting events anywhere in the world and the Galway Festival 2009 odds will reflect how avidly the races are followed. These days those making bets can usualy do so free with the many fre bet offers available and often combine the free bet with one of the thousands of unqualified tips that are available at the drop of a hat See Galway Festival betting here.
- Place an initial bet of £10
- Paddy Power will give you £30 in free bets
New customers only, place a £10 bet on any Sportsbook market - min stake £10 at odds of at least 1.5 (1/2) — and we’ll give you £30 in free bets. Only deposits made using Cards or Paypal will qualify for this promotion. Free bets are valid for 30 days and must be used on a Sportsbook market. Free bets will be awarded after the qualifying bet has been settled. T&Cs apply. Paddy's Rewards Club: Get a free £10 bet when you place 5x bets of £10+. T&Cs apply.
- Place an initial bet of £10
- Paddy Power will give you £30 in free bets
New customers only, place a £10 bet on any Sportsbook market - min stake £10 at odds of at least 1.5 (1/2) — and we’ll give you £30 in free bets. Only deposits made using Cards or Paypal will qualify for this promotion. Free bets are valid for 30 days and must be used on a Sportsbook market. Free bets will be awarded after the qualifying bet has been settled. T&Cs apply. Paddy's Rewards Club: Get a free £10 bet when you place 5x bets of £10+. T&Cs apply.
- Enter the Promo Code F50 as you register
- Ladbrokes match your first bet with a free matched bet to the same stake, up to a maximum of £50
Important info: 18+. New UK+IRE Customers only. Min deposit £5. Certain payment methods and cashout excluded. Min first bet £5. Min odds 1/2 (1.5). Must be placed within 14 days of account reg. Free bet credited upon placement of qualifying bet, valid for 24 hours. Free bet stake not returned. T&Cs Apply.
- Enter the Promo Code F50 as you register
- Ladbrokes match your first bet with a free matched bet to the same stake, up to a maximum of £50
Important info: 18+. New UK+IRE Customers only. Min deposit £5. Certain payment methods and cashout excluded. Min first bet £5. Min odds 1/2 (1.5). Must be placed within 14 days of account reg. Free bet credited upon placement of qualifying bet, valid for 24 hours. Free bet stake not returned. T&Cs Apply.
- Get up to £100 in bet credits
Up to £100 in Bet Credits. New Customers only. Sign up, deposit £5 or more to your account and bet365 will match your qualifying deposit in Bet Credits when you place qualifying bets to the same value and they are settled. Min odds/bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. T&Cs, time limits & exclusions apply.
- Get up to £100 in bet credits
Up to £100 in Bet Credits. New Customers only. Sign up, deposit £5 or more to your account and bet365 will match your qualifying deposit in Bet Credits when you place qualifying bets to the same value and they are settled. Min odds/bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. T&Cs, time limits & exclusions apply.
- Place an initial bet of £10
- Coral will provide you with three £10 free bets
Important info: 18+. UK+IRE only. Min first bet £10 a odds 1/2 or more. Tote and Pool excluded. Must be placed within 14 days of account reg. £30 credited as 3 x £10 free bets. Not valid with CashOut. Free bet valid for 4 days. Free bet stake not returned. T&Cs apply.
- Place an initial bet of £10
- Coral will provide you with three £10 free bets
Important info: 18+. UK+IRE only. Min first bet £10 a odds 1/2 or more. Tote and Pool excluded. Must be placed within 14 days of account reg. £30 credited as 3 x £10 free bets. Not valid with CashOut. Free bet valid for 4 days. Free bet stake not returned. T&Cs apply.
- Place an initial bet of £10 with William Hill and they give you £30 in free bets
New William Hill online customers only. Min. unit stake of £10 at odds of 1/2 or greater. Only the 'win' part from EW bets will count. Free bet terms, payment method & country restrictions apply. Free bets credited as 3 x £10. Free bet stakes are not returned as part of the settlement of successful free bets. All Free Bets must be wagered within 30 days.
- Place an initial bet of £10 with William Hill and they give you £30 in free bets
New William Hill online customers only. Min. unit stake of £10 at odds of 1/2 or greater. Only the 'win' part from EW bets will count. Free bet terms, payment method & country restrictions apply. Free bets credited as 3 x £10. Free bet stakes are not returned as part of the settlement of successful free bets. All Free Bets must be wagered within 30 days.
- Bet £10 get £30 in free bets
- 18+
Only available to new customers from UK & Northern Ireland. You must stake £10 or more at single/cumulative odds of Evens (2.0) or greater on your first bet. Free bet balance of £30 credited within 48 hours of your first bet being settled. Free Bets expire after 7 days. E-Wallet restrictions apply. Minimum 5 game rounds. Game restrictions apply. Maximum 30 Free Spins on selected games. Free Spins expire after 7 days. Full T&Cs apply.
- Bet £10 get £30 in free bets
- 18+
Only available to new customers from UK & Northern Ireland. You must stake £10 or more at single/cumulative odds of Evens (2.0) or greater on your first bet. Free bet balance of £30 credited within 48 hours of your first bet being settled. Free Bets expire after 7 days. E-Wallet restrictions apply. Minimum 5 game rounds. Game restrictions apply. Maximum 30 Free Spins on selected games. Free Spins expire after 7 days. Full T&Cs apply.
- Bet £10 get £30 in free sports bets
- + £10 Casino bonus, wagering requirements apply
New Customers Only. £30 Free Sports Bet split into 3 bets of £10 each + £10 Casino bonus, wagering requirements apply. Credit or Debit Card deposits only, 18+ T&C's apply. Begambleaware.org
- Bet £10 get £30 in free sports bets
- + £10 Casino bonus, wagering requirements apply
New Customers Only. £30 Free Sports Bet split into 3 bets of £10 each + £10 Casino bonus, wagering requirements apply. Credit or Debit Card deposits only, 18+ T&C's apply. Begambleaware.org
- Get up to £25 in free bets
- New customer exclusive
18+, T&C's apply. Cash stakes only. Min £10 stake required for initial £5 free bet. Min odds 1/2. Max £25 in free bets. Subsequent free bets equal 50% average of each of 3 qualifying bets. 13 bets required to receive full £25 free bet. Qualifying bet must be placed within 30 days of opening account. Free bet expires after 7 days. Payment method restrictions apply.
- Get up to £25 in free bets
- New customer exclusive
18+, T&C's apply. Cash stakes only. Min £10 stake required for initial £5 free bet. Min odds 1/2. Max £25 in free bets. Subsequent free bets equal 50% average of each of 3 qualifying bets. 13 bets required to receive full £25 free bet. Qualifying bet must be placed within 30 days of opening account. Free bet expires after 7 days. Payment method restrictions apply.
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