Brian Kavanagh

An online auction promoted and managed by Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) raised €50,000 for the Feed The Heroes, a not-for-profit voluntary organisation set up to feed frontline hospital and emergency workers dealing with the Covid-19 health emergency. The auction generated €31,158, and the HRI donated the balance to reach the final total of €50,000. The 36 auction items included a Galway Festival course walk with Ruby Walsh, corporate hospitality at Longines Irish Champions Weekend, signed Al Boum Photo silks and a yard visit to Ger Lyons. The top lot was...

Horse Racing Ireland's (HRI) Industry Education and Training Department have co-ordinated a variety of platforms and services to support the racing industry while racing is suspended due to COVID-19. Among services funded by HRI: Industry Assistance Programme (IAP), offering free access to trained counsellors, psychotherapists and information specialists who provide emotional support.  www.workinracing.ie/industry-welfare/industry-assistance-programme/ Providing horsemen with a COVID-19 business continuity planning best practices information. Sports psychology and other support for jockeys/apprentices, through the 'The Jockey Pathway' workinracing.ie/jockey-pathway/ HRI's Industry Education and Training Department COVID-19 FAQ for employers, available at https://www.workinracing.ie/....

The announcement from Jockey Club Racecourses on Tuesday afternoon clarified, up to a point, a view which many within racing already held: that a number of the Classics would not go ahead on their original scheduled dates. There are 427 Group races and 426 listed races scheduled on the Flat in Europe this year. Only a handful has been run so far this year, the most recent being the one Group race and one listed contest on the card at Naas on Monday, Mar. 23. The next day, Ireland followed...

The Board of Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) has agreed to conclude the 2019/2020 National Hunt season, effective immediately, with the spring festivals at Fairyhouse and Punchestown not to be rescheduled as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic. "We have stressed throughout that Government and HSE guidelines around fighting Covid-19 must come first and racing will only be able to resume when the Government guidelines permit and when there is adequate medical cover in place to ensure that race meetings can be staged safely," said Nicky Hartery, Chairman of Horse Racing...

Horse Racing Ireland Chairman Nicky Hartery admits the sport possibly faces its "greatest challenge" after the decision was taken to suspend racing until the middle of April. Ireland had been racing behind closed doors since Mar. 13 as countries around the world battle to stop the spread of coronavirus. However, on Tuesday the Irish Government announced it was cancelling all sports events, even those without spectators, until at least Apr. 19--leaving the HRI board to assess the implications at a meeting on Wednesday. Hartery said, "What is most important is...

The downgrading of a pair of German Group 2s and a distance changes for two key French 2-year-old races were among the outcomes of the European Pattern Committee's annual meeting at the British Horseracing Authority offices on Jan. 23. Germany was hit hardest in the quality control realm, its Meilen Trophy and Goldene Peitsche downgraded from Group 2 status, and the G1 Deutsches Derby, G1 Preis von Europa, G2 Diana Trial and G2 T. von Zastrow Stutenpreis all put on notice for risk of downgrading in 2021. France was issued...

The 2019 Irish horse racing and breeding industry statistics were released by Horse Racing Ireland on Monday. During the past year, the number of horses returned in training in Ireland rose 3% to 8,949, with new owner registrations up by 6.8% to 851 new racehorse owners. These were split into 600 new sole owners and partners and 216 new syndicates. Commercial race sponsorship and contributions to prizemoney by racecourses continued to rise also, growing by 17.3% in 2019. There were over 1.3 million people who attended a racemeeting in 2019...

A total of six new members have been appointed to the 14-strong Racegoers' Consultative Forum (RCF), Horse Racing Ireland announced on Monday. The six new forum members are: Eugene Kelly (North East and Northern Ireland region); Steven McGuinness (Northern Ireland); Tom Galway and Mark McGrath (South East); and student representatives Heather Downey and Kara Gabbett. Meeting quarterly and providing formal reports from the racecourses under their jurisdiction, forum members represent racegoers and bring ideas and feedback to HRI senior executives to improve the race going experience. They will serve 3-year...

Pat Keogh, who was CEO of Leopardstown Racecourse since 2011, has been appointed the Chief Executive of The Curragh Racecourse and Training Grounds effective immediately, Horse Racing Ireland and Curragh Racecourse Ltd. announced on Monday. Keogh will continue in his Leopardstown role for now, but will begin scaling back his involvement there over the next few months, while the Leopardstown management team will be augmented in the near future. Padraig McManus, Chairman of Curragh Racecourse Ltd. said, "I would like to thank outgoing CEO Derek McGrath and wish him well,...