Galway day three figures Even the Galway Festival is not recession proof, not to mention weather proof, with the attendance of 18,145 down over eleven hundred compared with the figure of 19,251 on “Plate” day last year. Betting with the bookmakers took a severe drop with the turnover in the ring down nearly 23% at €1,507,486 as against €1,956,138 12 months ago. The number of bookmakers in attendance was exactly 100, three less than in 2011. Not surprisingly the Tote-sponsored Galway Plate was the biggest betting race of the afternoon with €264,901 bet in the ring, which was just four thousand more than that wagered in the opening maiden hurdle. However the Tote bucked the trend and was up nearly 11% at €930,474, compared with an aggregate of €839,863 last year. Today's figure was boosted by over €150,000 bet on the French PMU.
