ALMOST €250,000 in prize-money will be up for grabs at the two-day Galway September meeting at Ballybrit next Monday and Tuesday.

The feature event of the meeting is the €52,500 Listed Ardilaun Hotel Oyster Stakes which was won in comfortable fashion by the 2/1 market leader Yaxeni from the Ger Lyons stable last year.

This listed event over a mile and a half will be the focal point of an eight-race card on Tuesday with the action scheduled to start at 3:50pm.

Monday’s card is all National Hunt with the €17,5000 Deacy Gilligan Handicap Hurdle over two miles, five furlongs the highlight, with racing getting underway at 3:55pm.

Chief Executive of Galway Racecourse Michael Moloney reported that the ground is currently good to yielding on the National Hunt track and yielding on the flat course despite Ballybrit being drenched by heavy rainfall at times over the past few months.

Moloney revealed that the track has been hit by a staggering 462mls of rain since June 1 and by 95mls since the successful Galway Summer Festival.

“We are still in a good place and there is a nice bit of cushion in the ground. We’ve had a dry week but the heavy dew in the mornings is keeping the ground on the slow side and that’s ideal for this time of year,” added Moloney.

Pictured: Michael Moloney