Horse Racing Ireland

All 26 Irish racecourses have approved the Racecourse Media Group (RMB)/SIS Media Rights deal and have authorised the Association of Irish Racecourses (AIR) to sign the contracts on their behalf, AIR announced on Friday. The deal will begin on Jan. 1, 2024. In May, 21 of the racecourses agreed to the deal, with Kilbeggan, Roscommon, Sligo, Limerick and Thurles Racecourses rejecting it. This week, discussions were held with AIR and the HRI Media Rights Committee, which resulted in the quintet of outliers agreeing to the proposal. Chairman of AIR, Conor...

The Road Safety Authority (RSA), and An Garda Síochána (AGS) have teamed up with Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) and Horse Sport Ireland (HSI) in an effort to inform motorists how to share the roads safely with horses. Drivers are being urged to pass horses "wide and slow" but also others who use the roads. The initiative features a series of videos to help motorists familiarise themselves with best practice when they encounter horses on the road and in areas with high equine traffic, such as around riding schools and racing...

The racing and breeding industry delivered €2.46bn to the Irish economy in 2022, according to a survey undertaken by Deloitte and commissioned by Horse Racing Ireland (HRI). This figure represents a rise of 34% since 2016, while the number of jobs supported by the sector has also increased during that time, by 1,450, to a total of 30,350. Of that total economic impact, €819m is generated by the breeding industry, €264m is spent by owners in the training and running of horses, and a further €193m comes through on- and...

The new media rights arrangements for 21 of the 26 Association of Irish Racecourses (AIR) was unanimously approved by the Board of Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) on Friday. This new agreement is for a period of five years beginning in 2024.The HRI Board welcomed the unanimous approval of the AIR Board for this deal and the authorisation for AIR to conclude contractual arrangements for 21 of its 26 member racecourses. The completion of the sale of the media rights for 21 racecourses as well as HRI's data rights for all...

Goffs and Tattersalls Ireland have committed support of €50,000 each over the next three years toward the Irish Thoroughbred Breeders' Association's National Hunt Fillies Bonus Scheme, the ITBA announced. The support is in addition to the €100,000 from Horse Racing Ireland through the Foal Levy. Established in 2013, the scheme's aim was to enhance the prices of fillies at store sales and encourage breeders to return their fillies in training. The Weatherbys ITBA NH Fillies Bonus scheme pays out €5,000 to any eligible filly who wins their mares-only maiden bumper,...

GAIN The Advantage Series will continue to be supported by Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) and GAIN Equine Nutrition for the third consecutive year. Last year's series was won jointly by trainers Pat Martin and Kevin Coleman, who shared an overall league prize of €5,000 worth of GAIN equine products. After two successful years, this year there will be an added race at Tramore Racecourse. The race will be restricted to horses owned by a syndicate or racing club to support and encourage the growth in this area, and like the...

Most key statistics for the Irish Thoroughbred racing and breeding industry showed significant gains when compared to the pre-pandemic year of 2019, as the full-year statistics were released by Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) on Thursday. In the areas of ownership (+17.1%, 4,757), horses-in-training (10,208, +14.1% on 2019), Tote betting (total Tote betting rose +18.3%), and bloodstock sales (€215.4m, +30.3% on 2019 and +17.8% on 2021), figures are well over 2019's. Owner retention rate is now 72.8%, with the number of syndicates increasing for the fourth consecutive year to 825 (+3.4%...

The winners of the 2022 Irish Thoroughbred Welfare Council Best-Turned-Out League were announced on Friday. Staff from yards of Jim Bolger, Gordon Elliott, James Fahey, Michael Halford, Eoin McCarthy, Michael O'Callaghan and Robert Tyner's were honoured in different categories. The categories are based on the number of runners each yard had during their season. Each yard wins €3,000 to be divided among staff. The winning yards are as follows: Flat Category A: Jim Bolger's yard with 72 best-turned-out horses from 279 runners. Flat Category B: Michael Halford's yard with 85...

Suzanne Eade, chief executive of Horse Racing Ireland, has once again prioritised prize-money in the budget with €68.6m set to be on offer across 390 fixtures in 2023. That represents a 2.5% rise on the pot that was on offer in 2022 while HRI also announced several other key industry supports and a contribution of over €1m to other initiatives on Wednesday. Integrity funding is set to increase to €15.9m (+3%) while the 2023 Budget provides for investment in equine welfare activities and welfare related grant funding of €2.7m, the...

Following the cancellation of Navan on Sunday, Dec. 18, due to frost, this meeting will not be rescheduled. The G2 Tote Navan Novice Hurdle will now be held at Naas next Tuesday, Dec. 20 as an eighth race with original declarations to stand. The NavanRacecourse.ie Rated Novice Steeplechase will now be held at Fairyhouse next Wednesday, Dec. 21 as an eighth race. It will revert back to entries at weights stage and will close for fresh declarations along with the rest of the Fairyhouse Meeting by 10am on Monday, Dec....

A health, safety and well-being guide for the horse breeding and racing sectors, meant as a resource for the industry covering legislation and detailing best practices was launched by Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) on Thursday. As the first step towards fostering improvements in health and safety standards in the industry, HRI commissioned Red C Research in Spring 2022 to conduct a survey of a cross section of members of the industry, both online and by interview, to canvas attitudes on the subject. The survey results revealed: • As many as...

Dubai Duty Free will continue their sponsorship of the G1 Irish Derby, as they renewed their partnership with the Curragh, the duo announced on Tuesday. In addition, the prize-money for the Irish Classic will increase from€1 million to €1.25 million in 2023, and five additional races will be sponsored by the airport retailer. For the first time since 2011, the Irish Derby will take place on a Sunday, with 2023's date set to be July 2. The full eight-race card will also become a permanent part of the Hong Kong...