Suzanne Eade

Horse Racing Ireland CEO Suzanne Eade has pointed to Irish racing being "in good health" after statistics released for 2025 showed increases in racecourse attendances, on-course betting and sponsorship. There has also been an upturn in prize-money, field sizes and owner retention. The biggest growth of all the metrics measured came in the combined value of €225.4m for bloodstock sales at public auction, which was up by 14%. Across 390 fixtures last year, attendances rose by 6% to an overall figure of 1.316m. The overall Tote turnover amounted to €81.3m,...

Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) has received approval from the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon TD, to proceed with the development of a second all-weather track in Ireland at Tipperary Racecourse. The approval of the final business case is the last permission required under the Government's Infrastructure Guidelines. It will allow HRI to complete the procurement process with a main contractor and the specialist sub-contractors providing the lighting and surface for the new track. It is expected that contracts will be signed in early-December, at which point...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY - As the final races of the opening day of the Saratoga season are being run July 10, a reception to celebrate a collaboration linking racing and breeding in New York and Ireland will be beginning across the street at the National Museum of Racing. The event sponsored by the New York State Breeding and Development Fund will honor Helena Nolan, the Consul General of Ireland in the U.S. and Suzanne Eade, CEO of Horse Racing Ireland. Nolan and Eade were principals with Brian O'Dwyer, the chairman...

Full-year statistics for 2024, released on Thursday by Horse Racing Ireland (HRI), showed increases in the key metrics of attendances, commercial sponsorship and on-course betting. Attendance figures for the first six months of 2024 were 1.5% behind the corresponding period of 2023, which HRI attributed to a combination of bad weather, adverse ground conditions and an extraordinary number of rescheduled fixtures. However, the end-of-year figure of 1.24 million is up 0.5%, with strong returns from the Irish Champions Festival, Listowel Festival, Navan Racing Festival and Christmas Festivals at Leopardstown and...

Nominations have opened for the 2025 Irish Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards (TIEA), sponsored by Godolphin and supported by the Irish Stable Staff Association, Horse Racing Ireland (HRI), the Irish Thoroughbred Breeders' Association and the Racing Post. The awards recognise and reward the exceptional skills, experience and dedication of the hardworking women and men in the Thoroughbred breeding and racing industry. Anyone can nominate a friend or colleague for an award. Nominations are open until 5pm on Tuesday, February 25 and must be completed online at www.itiea.org. This industry-wide celebration of...

Prize-money for Listed and Group 3 races will return to pre-Covid levels in 2025 as Horse Racing Ireland announced details of the budget for the new year on Friday. The total prize-money budget for 2025 is €70.9m, up €1m on the overall prize-money that will be paid out in 2024. On the Flat, Listed races will see an increased minimum from €37,500 to €45,000 (+20%), while Group 3 races will see a rise from €50,000 to €60,000 (+20%). This sees Listed and Group 3 races return to their pre-covid, 2019...

Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) and the New York State Thoroughbred Breeding and Development Fund have signed a memorandum of understanding to leverage and expand the two parties' shared commitment regarding their respective racing and breeding jurisdictions. Recognising a shared interest in fostering a cooperative relationship, both parties aim to cross-promote the participation of Thoroughbred breeders, owners, trainers and racehorses across both jurisdictions. According to a press release issued by HRI on Wednesday, "The memorandum of understanding demonstrates a mutual commitment to advancing and promoting the growth and success of both...

From its launch in 2019, covering the five days of Royal Ascot, the World Pool has grown gradually to 33 race days this year across eight different countries. It is fair to expect to see that expansion continue apace. The international commingling of betting pools was the brainchild of Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, CEO of the Hong Kong Jockey Club, which powers World Pool. Twenty-eight jurisdictions can now bet into that pool. "It is our vision to bring the world's finest racing to domestic customers all year round," states the World Pool...

Ciaran Flynn has been appointed general manager of Navan Racecourse, it was announced by Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) on Thursday. Flynn will take up his position with immediate effect and succeeds Aidan McGarry, who was in May named as the new general manager of Naas Racecourse. Flynn has worked in the sport industry since 2013 and held various operational roles in high performance sport with Paralympics Ireland, Tennis Ireland and the Sport Ireland Institute. He has held the role of operations lead at Navan since 2022. "I'm thrilled to be...

Horse Racing Ireland has blamed the bad weather and adverse ground conditions for the reduction in attendances, entries, runners and field sizes in the first six months of the year.  Key statistics for the first half of 2024, released today by HRI, also show an increase in total prize-money, race sponsorship, and the number of new owners, along with a slight decrease in the number of horses-in-training.  Attendances at key dates including Leopardstown's Dublin Racing Festival, BoyleSports Irish Grand National Day at Fairyhouse and Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby Day...

A five-year strategic plan for the horse racing and breeding industry entitled 'Nurturing Success and Inspiring Participation', was unveiled by Horse Racing Ireland (HRI). The Strategic Plan 2024-2028 was launched ahead of this week's Punchestown festival by HRI Chairman Nicky Hartery and Chief Executive Officer, Suzanne Eade. Spanning the years through to the end of 2028, the strategy's mission is to protect, strengthen and sustain Ireland's global leading horse racing and breeding industry. The plan also focuses heavily on HRI's social responsibility to industry employees, the horses and the environment. ...

Horse Racing Ireland chief Suzanne Eade says the figures posted in 2023 in relation to on-course betting, commercial sponsorship and public auction bloodstock sales points to a solid year for the industry as a whole in Ireland.  However, in the full-year statistics released by HRI on Thursday, it showed that the total number of active owners in Ireland has fallen by 1.2% to 4,698 and racecourse attendance figures have also dipped compared to the numbers posted in 2022.  Total on-course betting, including Tote, rose to €80.5m in 2023, an increase...