HRI

Asian Racing Federation (ARF) chairman Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges will give the keynote speech during the opening session of the Asian Racing Conference (ARC) in Sapporo, Japan from Aug. 27-Sept. 1. Also the CEO of the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC), Engelbrecht-Bresges will speak on key post-pandemic trends in racing and breeding, as well as exploring the most pressing issues facing the racing industry today. There will also be a panel discussion with Engelbrecht-Bresges being joined by Masayuki Goto, ARF vice-chairman and executive advisor to the Japan Racing Association (JRA); Suzanne Eade,...

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...

A new €1-million Equine Care Racecourse Capital Development Scheme to further enhance racecourse safety measures was launched by Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) on Thursday. Two initial areas are being targeted by the new scheme. The first improvement is to have identification markers on all hurdles and fences at the 23 racecourses staging jump racing will be converted from orange to white in line with best international practice, and there will be a linked move away from the traditional birch hurdles to non-birch hurdles by the end of 2025. The second...

The first Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) Equine Welfare Department symposium, titled 'Changing Stride - the way ahead for horse racing safety and care' will be held at the Keadeen Hotel and the Curragh on Friday, May 24. The symposium focuses on cultivating a culture of zero compromise in equine care and safety standards and is the key goal of the new HRI strategic plan 2024-2028. Tickets are €50 and include meals, refreshments on the day and entry to the Curragh for an eight-race card to kick-start Tattersalls Irish Guineas weekend....

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 (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...

Due to the continuing inclement weather which has led to a series of recent fixture cancellations, Horse Racing Ireland has announced a number of rescheduled meetings, starting with the G3 Curragh's Alleged S. meeting being moved to Saturday, April 20. This meeting replaces the April 6 meeting at the Curragh which was lost to the weather. Entries for this meeting will close by noon next Tuesday, April 16 with declarations to run to be made by 10am on Thursday, April 18.    As the Curragh is also scheduled for Sunday, April...