Horse Racing Ireland

Apprentice Amy Jo Hayes leads the Barney Curley apprentice series, Horse Racing Ireland announced on Friday. Hayes has won the first two races--at Roscommon last month and at Gowran Park on June 3. There are four more races in the series restricted to apprentices who have ridden less than 20 winners. The remaining races are scheduled for Bellewstown on July 4, Naas on July 24, Down Royal on Sept. 6 and Bellewstown on Oct. 2. Points are awarded for each race first through 10th (25, 18, 15, 12, 10, 8,...

Horse Racing Ireland said it is "deeply shocked and appalled" by the footage of animal abuse shown in an RTE Investigates programme that was broadcast on Wednesday evening while Ireland's Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue said those responsible for the alleged mistreatment of horses will face the "full rigour of the law". While racehorses did feature in the one-hour programme, it dealt mainly with non-thoroughbreds being exported to continental Europe.  Most shockingly, it revealed instances where some horses were having their identities changed before either being exported for sale or...

Coursetrack, an in-race timing information system, has been successfully installed at 25 Irish racecourses, the company announced on Friday. The data began being broadcasted on-screen and published online for 25 Irish racecourses since the start of the year. Coursetrack worked closely with Horse Racing Ireland (HRI), the Association of Irish Racecourses (AIR) and each individual course during the installation process. The system is operated by Racecourse Media Group (RMG)'s timing partners, Coursetrack. Horses carry GPS trackers, designed to fit within the saddlecloth, during the race. In-race data for all races...

A special report is set to be broadcast on RTE One and RTE Player on Wednesday, June 12, focusing on what happens to racehorses upon their retirement. A spokesperson for Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) confirmed to the Nick Luck Daily Podcast that they have engaged with the programme, responding to questions in relation to specific incidents and their general standpoint on slaughterhouses and euthanasia. Whilst HRI confirmed that they do not have a clear indication as to what will appear in the programme, it is presumed that the one horse...

Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) have appointed Paula Cunniffe as director of communications and marketing, it was announced on Thursday. Cunniffe joins HRI from Strive Management, where she held the role of CEO for seven years. She previously managed national and international communications campaigns in the Department of the Taoiseach and began her career as a radio and TV producer on sports and arts documentaries. "I am excited to join the leadership team at Horse Racing Ireland," said Cunniffe. "I've loved working in sport throughout my career, from growing Run in...

Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) have reported increased attendances at Irish horse racing fixtures in the past year, in part due to growing engagement with younger fans. According to research conducted by the Red C Horse Racing Ireland Tracker, involving over 1,000 interviews between February 8-14, 45% of people aged 18 to 34 attended a race day in 2023, up from 40% the previous year. Other notable results were as follows: 46% of 18-34s are interested in attending future horse racing fixtures - an increase of 13% 38% of 18-34s plan...

A new indoor equine therapeutic centre named in memory of Jack de Bromhead will be built this year, ChildVision announced on Tuesday. Based in Drumcondra, ChildVision is a specialist therapy and education centre for children with visual impairment. The new indoor facility will give them access to the best global equine activities all year round, crucially through the winter months and in bad weather conditions. Spearheaded by de Bromhead family friend and well-known racehorse owner Chris Jones--and with the blessing of Jack's parents Heather and Henry--the €1 million donation target...

GAIN The Advantage Series will be supported by Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) and GAIN Equine Nutrition for the fourth consecutive year, it was announced on Monday. In 2023, the trainer league was clinched during the final leg by Tipperary-based Andrew Slattery, who secured the overall prize of €5,000 worth of GAIN equine products. Building on three successful years, the 2024 series includes nine races which will be run for points over a variety of conditions to cater to different trainers and horses throughout the Flat season. All races in the...

A new Spring Series of median sires races has been added to the Irish Flat racing calendar for 2024 and beyond in what is a significant boost to the three-year-old programme for middle-distance horses. In an announcement made by Horse Racing Ireland (HRI), the Irish European Breeders' Fund (Irish EBF) and Gowran Park Racecourse on Monday, the Spring Series will conclude with the €200,000 Irish Stallion Farms EBF Gowran Classic--the richest race ever held at Gowran Park--on Bank Holiday Monday, June 3. Three-year-olds with a median price of no more...

Richard Pugh and Freya Hammer have been appointed to the Racing Department of Horse Racing Ireland, HRI announced on Thursday. The former is now the head of Racing and Insights and will report to the director of Racing, Jonathan Mullin. Previously with Tattersalls Ireland since 2012 and their director of Horses-in-Training Sales since 2015, he will be responsible for the management of the Racing Department and the Race Planning Function. Pugh will also cease in his role of director of Point-to-Point Services, which he co-founded in 2003. Hammer is the...

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...

A jockey coaching programme that will see five qualified jockey coaches provide mentoring and specialised skills coaching across a range of subject areas to support and enhance the career development of all licensed jockeys in Ireland was launched by Horse Racing Ireland (HRI)'s equuip on Thursday. All five jockey coaches are former riders. The coaches and their regions are as follows: Nina Carberry (Meath and North regions), Paddy Flood and Niall McCullagh (East and Midlands regions), Robbie Moran (South region), and Derek O'Connor (Western region). Former champion jockey Barry Geraghty,...