Not looking good across the water

This is a good offer, even for those just going to the two weekend meetings at the Curragh and Naas. The mid week meetings will be lost on most but it's a very good start and the racecourses are to be commended for it. A little surprising to see that it isn't on the Curragh or Punchestown sites although it does show up at the bottom of a page on Naas website. This really needs to be marketed.

I also notice that the Curragh booking fee is down to €1.50 and that Leopardstown are offering only 10% off for their next meeting which means it's useless when you take the booking charge into account.
 
This isn't good news at all following the other recent withdrawls of sponsorship. The Horse racing fund is already under pressure with cut-backs and will now have to absorb some more non sponsored events. These races, like the Galway Plate and Irish National, will need a 50% reduction in prizemoney IMO.

Irish Grand National loses ten-year sponsor


By Brian Fleming12.36PM 7 OCT 2009
POWERS WHISKEY will end its ten-year sponsorship of the Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse following the 2010 running.
The race has been part of the Irish Distillers Pernod Ricard sponsorship portfolio since 1970 with Powers Whiskey taking the title in 2000. Next year's race is scheduled to be run on Monday, April 5.
Irish Distillers Pernod Ricard is to continue sponsorship of the Grade 1 Powers Gold Cup on Sunday, April 4. This sponsorship began in 1960 and is said to be Irish racing's longest-running sponsorship.
Caroline Gray, general manager at Fairyhouse, said: "We would like to thank Irish Distillers Pernod Ricard for the phenomenal sponsorship of the Powers Whiskey Irish Grand National.
"Their 40 year commitment and support has ensured the Irish Grand National has grown into the event it is today.
"We are confident we will find an appropriate brand to take over the reins of this iconic race and make it their own."
Emma Donnellan, brands director for Irish Distillers Pernod Ricard said: "The Powers Whiskey Irish Grand National has been one of the most successful Irish sponsorships of the past decade.
"It was a difficult decision to call an end to such a partnership however our brand priorities have changed and so we feel the time has come."
In recent weeks Irish racing has suffered the loss of major sponsorships by William Hill - for the Galway Plate - and Boylesports for the Irish 1,000 Guineas and Irish 2,000 Guineas.
 
Sheikh said:
10k for the Galway plate and leave the National alone :p
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Ha ha, I wouldn't disagree with you. Both those races are worth around €250k and the Plate should be €50k to winner and the Irish National no mre than €100k. That would knock a few hundred grand off and keep everyone happy.
 
HRI's fund has been cut in the budget by a further €7.1m approx €13%. The fund for 2010 will be €47.4m which is reduced from €54.5 million from this year....
 
Well it should have been anticipated anyway and hopefully HRI have cut their administrative cloth to meet this new era rather than hope the last cut was "the last". Certainly the owners have anticipated another drop in prizemoney and it's now time to re-evaluate the whole program and ask, do we need the Galway Plate to be worth €150k (or whatever it is).
 
Indeed: time to change these hugely expensive plates, cups, bowls, and chargers to more relevant kitchenalia, surely? The Galway Teasmade or the Dyson Ball St Leger would be a start.
 
Well the Toshiba Irish Champion Hurdle was fine for us. Nothing like a new TV for the living room!!
 
Hey, in these hard times, a year's free shopping for the BTO might be very welcome! That's a far more useful prezzie to the lass/lad, than another silver-plated photo frame, surely? :D
 
Further Cutbacks to Funding of Racing Industry
Announced by Horse Racing Ireland​

No funding for any Racecourse Capital Development Projects
Racecourse Support Schemes to be reduced by 12%
Integrity Costs to be reduced by 11%
Prize Money to be reduced by 10% - back to 2002 levels
HRI staff to take pay cuts averaging 6%
Grants to Industry Bodies reduced by 6%​
​
Following the 13% (€7.1million) cutback in Government Funding to the horse racing sector announced in the Budget, Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) today announced a series of cost saving measures and funding reductions for 2010. The measures include cutbacks across all areas of activity, the cessation of funding for racecourse improvements and capital development projects, reduced direct financial support for racecourses, reductions in the cost (but not the level of service) of the integrity function, a 10% overall cut in prize money, pay cuts averaging 6% for HRI staff and lower grant aid for all of the organisations supported by HRI.

HRI's Chief Executive, Brian Kavanagh, stated: "The Board of HRI has had to make significant cutbacks to ensure Irish racing operates to a balanced budget for 2010. Following the third significant cut to the organisation’s funding in the last fourteen months, HRI estimates that up to 1,500 jobs have been lost in the racing and breeding industry in the last eighteen months and regrettably the measures being announced today will lead to further job losses."

The key features of the HRI budget 2010 are as follows:-

1. Racecourse Capital Developments

HRI will not be in a position to provide funding towards any new racecourse capital projects until the issues surrounding the long-term security of funding are addressed. HRI has previously indicated its support in principle for the plan to re-locate Tramore Racecourse to a new site, generating significant local investment and employment, but regrettably no funding will be available for this project in 2010. Additionally, HRI spent €3 million in grant aid towards the improvement of facilities at racecourses throughout the country in 2009, but again no funds will be available for further investment in this important area next year.

2. Prize Money

Total prize money will be reduced by €5.4 million or 10.2% to €47.7 million in 2010. This follows on from a €7.3 million decline in 2009, which means that in two years prize money will have fallen by 21% from its 2008 peak of €60.4 million and will now be reverting to 2002 levels. HRI will also apply a reduction in the administration fees (7%) and prize money (3%) for Point-to-Points.

For 2010, the prize money reductions will be applied to Grade 1 races in the National Hunt sphere (novice races down by €10k and open races by €5k) and to Black Type races on the Flat: the Irish Derby and Champion Stakes will be down by €250k each, the Oaks and both Guineas by €75k, other Group 1 and Group 2 races by €15k, Group 3 races for 2yos/3yos only by €12k and for older horses by €2k, and Listed races for 2yos by €2.5k. There will be no adjustment to the base values in all other race categories and the absolute minimum value will remain at its current level of €7000. The number of fixtures to be run in 2010 remains unchanged at 345.

The cost of running will be increased from 0.9% (0.7%/0.2% to enter/declare) to 1.0% (0.8%/0.2%) of the race prize fund to compensate for an anticipated reduction in entry levels, but the overall percentage of prize money to be contributed by owners is still forecast to fall to a new low of 25%. All other HRI charges on owners will be frozen for the third consecutive year.

3. Pay Cuts

Pay cuts averaging 6% will be applied to staff employed by HRI, Tote Ireland, HRI Racecourses Ltd and Irish Thoroughbred Marketing. The cuts will be made on a tiered basis, ranging from no drop at the lower end of the scale up to 12% on the highest levels of salary. Additionally, central administration overheads will be reduced by 19%.

4. Racecourse Support Schemes

HRI will also reduce by 12% overall its direct financial support for a number of racecourse support schemes (these include the winter racing grant, sponsorship incentive scheme and big screen support).

5. Grants to Industry Bodies

All grants paid directly by HRI to industry bodies such as Irish Thoroughbred Marketing, RACE, the Irish Equine Centre, the Blue Cross, the Order of Malta, the Irish Farriery School and the Irish Horse Welfare Trust will be cut by 6% compared to their 2009 levels.

6. Integrity Costs

Savings of 11% are being sought from the Turf Club in relation to the integrity costs, with the savings to be achieved from greater efficiencies rather than reduced level of activity.

HRI Chairman, Denis Brosnan added "Horse racing and breeding is a genuine Irish success story. It is one of the few activities in which Ireland is a world leader. It provides 15,500 jobs in rural Ireland, whilst generating significant exports and inward investment. In 2009 three of the top four horses in the world were trained in Ireland and for the nineteenth consecutive year, an Irish based stallion will be the leading sire in Europe."

Mr Brosnan continued, "However, all of this is in danger now due to the absence of long term security of funding for the industry. There are clear signs that, with the combination of the series of budget cuts and the removal of the stallion tax exemption, we are seeing horses and investment moving to other countries, particularly France, with a consequent loss of jobs. These countries have secure funding mechanisms, directly linked to their betting industry. In 2002, the Irish betting industry turned over €1 billion and generated €68 million in duty for the State. Today, the same Irish betting industry turns over €5.5 billion but only generates €30 million in duty. The effect of this anomaly is that the horse racing industry is now dependent on direct State funding drawn from the same pool as health, education and social welfare. This is an unnecessary and unsustainable position."

Denis Brosnan concluded "HRI’s request to Government is simple. Put the funding structure of our industry on a secure basis and we will continue to give you a world class industry with thousands of rural jobs. Fail to do that and one of the few genuine Irish success stories of recent years will disintegrate before our eyes."
 
It's only a matter of time before the gov agrees to bring in some tax to fund racing which would be a good move.

On the prizemoney front, it seems sensible to hit the top races and take a little more off the lower graded races and novice hurdles etc. But €7k still as the minimum prizemoney for the worst race in the country. Me thinks they will need to look at this again.
 
Page 4 of the RP today - Irelands Labour party yesterday called for betting levy in the country to to be increased from one per cent to 1.5 per cent, and backed major cuts in prize-money as part of a radical policy it believes could end the system of state funding to racing. - Now the part where they have obviously done no research - ....betting levy up to 1.5 per cent and apply it to all bets placf on course, in betting shops, over the phone, on television, online and via betting exchanges. Online poker and casinno websites would also be brought into the net. - So Paddy Power and Boyles are off to rock....
 
Saw that. This made me laugh:

Under the plan, online operators not based in Ireland but offering a service to Irish customers will be blocked by Irish internet service providers on the direction of the government if they refuse to register and pay the betting levy.
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Utterly clueless.
 
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/sport/2010/0122/1224262842222.html

I think you're being a bit harsh there, Gearoid. I don't have access to the Racing Post article, but the Irish Times quotes Horse Racing Ireland as being broadly in favour and has the PP and Betfair also saying fair enough as long as it's done fairly.

No doubt the devil is in the detail, but this is a problem not just for Ireland and international co-operation is likely.
 
I dont understand how they can apply it to bets placed on exchanges. Surely this is just another kick in the teeth for the operators who can not afford to duck or avoid part of the levy by going off shore. I can only see it costing jobs in the short term.
 
I dont understand how they can apply it to bets placed on exchanges.
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Given that the exchanges have a mechanism to collect their own commission, could they not use it to do the same for others?
 
Gearoid said:
At what cost to the customer?
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The same cost as it would cost you in a bookies....1.5%. You will still be better off on Betfair.

The crux of the matter is simple.......Irish horse race funding needs to be linked directly to Irish horse race betting. I believe this is pretty close to legislation in the Gaming Act that is being update and will be a major step forward. The current situation, where funding is given by means of a discretionary grant, is not sustainable. This is a very good move for Irish racing and the sooner it happens, the better.

On the technology front, doen't some American states quite successfully block their citizens accessing gambling websites?
 
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