Festival fanatic Pauline thrilled to have judging role in Ballybrit

KEEPING a close eye on the horses as they make their way around the parade ring is all part of the fun of Race Week for Craughwell trainer Pauline Gavin. For the entire week, Pauline absolutely loves her job.

She gets to judge the Best Turned Out Horse on five of the seven days of the festival and loves being at the centre of the action as she gives the competitors a thorough going over before they head out onto the track.

Pauline will have to stand down from her duties when her own horse, The Lady Granuaile, takes part in a race over hurdles next Wednesday but, otherwise, she would be delighted to spend the entire week in the vicinity of the parade ring.

She shares her judging duties with festival veteran Lady Hemphill, who taught her the criteria involved and takes over on the other two days of the festival.

The winning groom gets €100 each day and the winning yard with the most best turned out horses in the week is presented with a cheque for €2,000, so the stables take the competition seriously as Pauline tracks their progress around the ring.

“Before the race I would never look at the race card, because I don’t want to know which stables they come from,” she told Tribune Sport this week. “But once they leave the ring I would take out the card and have a peek before the race starts.

“I love judging, because I get to see all the work that goes into presenting the horses and the efforts the stables go to in order to make sure they’re looking great. They put a huge effort into presentation. You look at the grooming, the lovely mane and tails, and the perfect tack. There’s always a high standard every year.”

Like many people, the Craughwell-based trainer confesses to having an addiction to the Galway festival since the first time she visited the course. She was introduced to the joys of Ballybrit by her late husband, Colm, a well-known solicitor who passed away four years ago.

They met during their university days and, from the outset, Wexford native Pauline was blown away by the energy and enthusiasm that surrounds Ireland’s biggest racing festival.

“The first time I came I could not get over the crowds and the atmosphere,” she said. “From Monday evening onwards there seems to be terrific energy and optimism around the course. That energy seems to last the entire week and people don’t seem to get tired. By Friday, there is a whole new momentum when more locals come to the festival.”

Pauline grew up with a love of hunting and point-to-point racing in Co Wexford, but was only converted to the joys of the Galway Races by Colm, who was a full member of the Galway Race Committee for some years.

Her four children grew up with a huge love of horses and the Galway Festival and she’s particularly delighted that her daughter, Sarah, has found a career in the industry thanks to her job with Irish Thoroughbred Marketing.

From the outset, the children would help out at her stables. She currently has half-a-dozen horses in Craughwell and admits that her string is more suited to the softer ground at Ballybrit for the September and October meetings.

“All of us seem to have a love of horses and Sarah helps out at the stables whenever she’s home,” said Pauline, who is also helped out by Liam Hennessy in the yard. “I only have a half a dozen horses, particularly since Sarah left to work in County Kildare, but it’s the most I ever wanted.

For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.