Galway Festival: The Galway festival wound up yesterday with almost €21 million having been bet over the seven days. A 13,430 attendance yesterday was down almost 3,000 on last year, with the Galway-Kerry game in Croke Park making a significant impact.
It meant the attendance for the week was 159,639 - with Thursday's 38,641 a modern day record in Ireland.
Thursday's €1,543,334 Tote turnover was also a national record but overall betting figures were down. Yesterday's Tote figure of €474,599 was significantly down on last year's €689,177 and contributed to an overall Tote of €6,703,310. Last year's total was €6,828,857. Bookmaker turnover for the week was €14,145,640.
Meanwhile, champion jockey Pat Smullen was fortunate to escape with just a shaking from a three-horse pile-up in the closing stages of the sprint handicap yesterday.
Smullen aboard Turn of Phrase hit the deck when In the Gods and former champion apprentice Tom Queally clipped heels just inside the furlong pole and fell in their path.
Young apprentice Rachel Costello, who was unseated, was taken to hospital with a suspected broken shoulder. Queally was suspended for three days for careless riding.
:quality(70)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/YVIRIOZQ35EWRPZXR27KGMO6YU.png)