Galway Festival Preview:Irish racing's richest week kicks off this evening with betting figures and attendance levels expected to breach landmark figures in the seven days ahead and a hot big-race favourite in Essex that bookmakers and punters can go to war over in classic Galway fashion.

Essex could start at the sort of odds in the €100,000 GPT Handicap that will have many punters dismissing the old enemy as parasites but of course it is a very different kind of parasite that has grabbed the headlines on the run up to the festival.

"Bring your own water," was Barry Geraghty's tip to the nation on national television over the weekend but at Ballybrit there is an impressive confidence that the cryptosporidiosis bug that has contaminated Galway's water supply for much of the year will not be a problem.

A total of €250,000 has been invested in a UV filtration system at every outlet and tests by the HSE have given the racecourse water a clean bill of health.

With the new 7,000 capacity Killanin Stand to show off for the first time, that was welcome news for the Galway authorities who will again expect to become the financial powerhouse for racing in Ireland throughout the year.

Bookmaker and Tote turnover for the week in 2006 was just shy of €30 million, a mark that should be comfortably passed by at least €3 million this time, while the 200,000 attendance landmark is under serious threat over the next seven days.

A less welcome tally last year were the 12 horses fatally injured but that unhappy total should not be replicated this time with testing ground conditions likely to slow things up and leaving form students with an even greater test.

Soft ground with heavy patches is being forecast for this evening and that should be no problem for the hotly fancied Essex in the amateur rider feature.

Instead it is the 11st 4lb weight the former Pierse and Totesport Trophy winner has that is concerning his jockey Denis Cullen.

"He will handle the ground, that won't be an issue, but it is a tricky little race and we will have to give weight away to quite a few," said trainer Michael O'Brien's assistant.

It's over a year since Essex last ran on the flat but he returned to winning action with a Grade Three hurdle success at Tipperary last weekend and a double-up attempt in Thursday's Guinness Hurdle hasn't been ruled out.

The impact of a wind operation was illustrated in the way he got through gruelling ground eight days ago but that looked a tough race and at the likely odds, he may not represent the greatest value bet.

Bluebyyou boasts winning course form from last September and is 4lb better off for the length he was beaten by Sandymount Earl on his last flat start at the Curragh. A poor run over hurdles last time was on a different surface to tonight's and Tom Hogan's six-year-old looks to be on a reasonable weight.

Dermot Weld, the leading trainer award winner for the last 20 years, will again be latched on to by punters throughout the week and Lisselan Eagle can get the festival off to a flyer in the opening novice hurdle.

Galilean is possibly better than Weld's runner on the flat but Lisselan Eagle has two hurdle races already under his belt and is in winning form from Fairyhouse nine days ago.

Weld's impressive record in the juvenile maiden means that Domestic Fund will be well fancied to follow in the footsteps of past Rosewell House winners such as Grey Swallow and Go And Go but that could leave a better price about Kieren Fallon's mount Lucifer Sam.

Domestic Fund was just ahead of the Ballydoyle runner when fourth on his debut to Lisvale at the Curragh.

However, Lucifer Sam was a big drifter in the betting that day and he did much better next time out when runner-up to the subsequent Tyros winner New Approach.

The latter's yard is represented by Chun Tosaigh but Lucifer Sam's extra experience could be crucial.

Emily Blake's wide margin win at Limerick last week will make her a popular choice in the seven-furlong handicap but the topweight has a terrible draw which is very hard to overcome on this track.

Quite how the ground conditions might alter that is unclear but in the circumstances, Blue Mountie's stall 15 and Mick Kinane up for the first time looks an attractive proposition.