The Friday evening of the Galway festival has become an increasing crowd-puller, apparently attracting a younger customer eager to kick off the bank holiday weekend in style. The youthful theme could prove important to finding a winner of day five’s festival feature.That’s the €110,000 Guinness Handicap, which is a mile-and-a-half contest open to three-year-olds and up. It has a rather ageist profile in favour of the seniors.It’s 25 years since a three-year-old emerged on top, a stat unlikely to stop punters zeroing in on Thread Of Gold as a likely solution.Willie Mullins’s charge is joined by an older stable companion in Night Moon, who fits the age criteria but may be found wanting when it comes to the level Thread Of Gold could ultimately reach.He’s one of a trio from the younger generation in the ultra-competitive 18-runner field, with Aidan O’Brien sending Port Of Spain west and Mr Vettori representing Jessica Harrington.Ranged against them are some stalwart performers, including This Songisforyou, winner of a festival bumper here all of four years ago. A year after that, Dawn Rising won the marathon Queen Alexandra at Royal Ascot. He joins another Joseph O’Brien hope, Kingstonian, in the contest.It’s a notable puzzle for a holiday attendance that last year was the biggest of the week at 26,234. In 2024, only the Ladies’ Day crowd 24 hours earlier was bigger. There is live terrestrial coverage on TG4.If there’s one that could stand out, however, and in future operate at higher-than-handicap level, it could be Thread Of Gold.A lot has to be taken on faith for a gelding who has won twice from four career starts, not least since he’s taking a significant hike in trip for a first try at 12 furlongs.However, there was plenty to like about the way he finished off the valuable Nasrullah Handicap on his last start in Leopardstown almost three weeks ago.Taipan was steered home to victory by Shane Foley at Ballybrit in 2024. Photograph: Bryan Keane/Inpho It suggested he should relish further, as does his breeding by Ghaiyyath, while after his winning Curragh debut a year ago, a long-term tilt at a Melbourne Cup wasn’t ruled out. After that, the horse was bought by the US-based Team Valor operation. Their most famous horse was the 2011 Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom. He also landed the Dubai World Cup.Night Moon has a task on his hands having been given a stone hike in the weights for winning at Fairyhouse, although Johnny Murtagh’s Fixation might be another to appreciate a step up in distance.The Harrington stalwart Taipan goes for three-in-a-row in the Friday finale but might be up against it this time, with the 2024 Queen Alexandra winner Uxmal opposing. The latter ran a good third to Layfayette at Limerick last time and his 105-rating is hard to argue with in this context.Friday’s big jumps contest is the €80,000 Galway Blazers Handicap Chase with a maximum 20 runners. The mare A Law Of Her Own has a first start for Emmet Mullins and boasts winning course form over hurdles.On the same mark is Donnie Devito, who is also a Galway winner over hurdles and was narrowly beaten in a Beginners’ Chase at last year’s festival. Ross O’Sullivan’s hope returned to action when third at Wexford earlier in the month and a useful 7lb claim is off his back.Coulstys Way was runner-up here last year and lines up in another handicap off just a pound higher in the ratings. Paddy Magee’s charge ran encouragingly at Killarney last time.Irish interest at Goodwood on Friday includes Brussels lining up for Aidan O’Brien in the Group Two King George Stakes, while Andab goes for Joseph O’Brien in a mile Group Three.It’s at the other end of the distance scale that Irish interest will focus on in the Goodwood opener, with both Tony Martin and Willie Mullins represented in a 2½ mile contest worth £75,000 (€87,400).Jockey Jamie Powell rides Martin’s Alphonse Le Grande, the horse he ultimately landed the 2024 English Cesarewitch on after a memorable saga involving the whip rules. Mullins has engaged David Egan for Highwind, who ran fourth at the Curragh on his last start.