For my 21st birthday, I went with Mike and Shane to the Galway Races. The day involved many chats, lots of cake and the perfect balance between work and play. In all my years of equine interest, until Wednesday 27th July 2022, I had never been to races of that level. I have attended many a point-to-point but never an event like this. To sum up, in three words, the event was buzzy, electric and fascinating. I’m going to tell you in a few more words what the day was like for me.

When you pull into the grounds, you come down a dip and as you reach the summit of the hill, the sheer sight of the event flicks a switch and you begin to feel the hustle and bustle about the place already. I could then sense the change in the three of us. Mike was quietly ready to kick ass whereas Shane had a walk that talked before he did – it was go time. I was like a kid at a candy shop initially. I didn’t know where to look first. The race that was running? The size of the place? The outfits strutting about? The reactions of owners and breeders in the parade ring? The buzz of the bookies? It was incredible to see how alive the place was after an excessive period of cancelled events and social distancing.

Not long after arrival, the lads jumped into action and were leading the way in, showing me how we do things at The Grassroots Gazette. Phone calls were being made, interviews were being organised, all whilst I was still soaking up the atmosphere and trying to keep up with wherever we were going next. Then the day really started. It is a priceless experience watching these two work an event. The ability to maintain a totally relaxed front is admirable and the flow of their work off the cuff is captivating.

Everyone who was anyone was in Galway at the races that day and a lot of these people knew who we were – now that was a surreal feeling. I was unbelievably proud when Mike was recognised from TikTok or Shane was recognised from Instagram. They deserve it after all the hard work and dedication they have put into this. Once the interviews had started, there were no signs of slowing down until we were about to hop into the car. The likes of David Russel, Ruth Dudfield, Robbie Power, Anthony Slattery, Eoin Walsh and Joseph O’Brien were all jumping in for an interview with our team whilst Rachel Blackmore, Ronan McNally and Ruby Walsh were all chatting in passing. One word, unbelievable.

It was so interesting to hear the different answers from different perspectives. After talking to breeders, owners, jockeys and grooms there was a consensus between them all: hard work and dedication is what got them where they are today. What I found even more interesting was how varied they are in their off-track lives, as I was observing the interviews I noticed that they all enjoyed talking about their off-track lives just as much (if not more) about their life on track. It seemed as if they appreciated us taking an interest in them as a person too and not just what they do.

Now as we were interviewing people of all levels they each reacted differently to the actual act of being interviewed. You could tell who the cool cucumbers were, as they knew exactly how to present themselves and how to concisely answer a question whilst also providing enough information. On the other hand, we interviewed amatuer jockeys who clearly found the experience new and a little daunting – little did they know I felt the exact same way. Considering it was my first time at the races and I was inside the parade ring, outside the weight room I felt like I had skipped the queue of life and sat down at the top table.

The day in itself was remarkable. I learnt a lot, laughed a lot and ate an awful lot – what an amazing way to spend my birthday. I can confidently say that I shall be attending the races again, the atmosphere is simply electric and I would recommend it to anyone.