The Tote extends its sponsorship of Galway Plate in a new festival deal

THE Tote is extending its association with one of the flagship races – TheTote.com Galway Plate – at the Summer Festival for at least another three years.

The news follows the decision to move the fixture on Wednesday, August 1, to an evening slot for the first time, with the €250,000 feature event due to go to post at 7.20pm in a move  designed to boost the number of local racegoers.

The Tote first sponsored the race in 2010 and this renewal will take the company’s association with the Galway Plate – the richest steeplechase on the summer racing calendar – into its eleventh year in 2020.

The Galway Plate has produced some high class recent winners including Carlingford Lough, Road To Riches and last year’s hero Balko Des Flos, which went on to land the Ryanair Chase at the Cheltenham Festival last month.

The week-long Galway summer meeting is Ireland’s biggest racing festival and attracted 145,000 spectators across seven days of racing last year. Run on the third day, the Galway Plate has an illustrious history and plans are already in place to mark the 150th running of the race next year.

Speaking at the announcement of The Tote’s sponsorship renewal of the Galway Plate, Tim Higgins, CEO of The Tote, said: “We are delighted to continue this mutually beneficial partnership with the Galway Races. TheTote.com Galway Plate is a real high point of the year for all of our team and the week itself is eagerly anticipated every summer. The continued high quality of horse entering and winning the race is great to see and we look forward to seeing what the 2018 winner goes on to achieve.”

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