DAY four of the Galway Races Summer Festival at Ballybrit sees a rise in the fashion stakes as the Best Dressed Person Competition gets underway.
This year’s competition includes prizes for Best Dressed Lady, Best Hat and Best Irish Design.
The winner of the overall Best Dressed contest will receive more than €10,000 worth of prizes, including a five star luxury break with Bluebook Ireland, a new wardrobe courtesy of Aideen Bodkin and a bespoke crystal trophy by Waterford Crystal.
The judges of this year’s competition include TV presenter Maura Derrane, Irish Independent Fashion editor Bairbre Power, and Mandy Maher, owner of Catwalk model agency.
The first of the day’s eight races is set to begin at 1.50pm.
The ‘Galway Guinness Hurdle Handicap’ is the race of the day with a €300,000 prize up for grabs for the winner of the two mile race.
The prize money has been increased by €50,000 this year in celebration of the 50 year relationship between Guinness and the Galway Races. This makes the Hurdle the richest National Hunt race ever to be run in Ireland.
Expected to start at around 4.45pm, the favourite for the Hurdle is Tony Martin’s Quick Jack.
The seven day festival will continue in Ballybrit until Sunday August 2.
