AIR

All 26 Irish racecourses have approved the Racecourse Media Group (RMB)/SIS Media Rights deal and have authorised the Association of Irish Racecourses (AIR) to sign the contracts on their behalf, AIR announced on Friday. The deal will begin on Jan. 1, 2024. In May, 21 of the racecourses agreed to the deal, with Kilbeggan, Roscommon, Sligo, Limerick and Thurles Racecourses rejecting it. This week, discussions were held with AIR and the HRI Media Rights Committee, which resulted in the quintet of outliers agreeing to the proposal. Chairman of AIR, Conor...

The new media rights arrangements for 21 of the 26 Association of Irish Racecourses (AIR) was unanimously approved by the Board of Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) on Friday. This new agreement is for a period of five years beginning in 2024.The HRI Board welcomed the unanimous approval of the AIR Board for this deal and the authorisation for AIR to conclude contractual arrangements for 21 of its 26 member racecourses. The completion of the sale of the media rights for 21 racecourses as well as HRI's data rights for all...

Paul Hensey has been appointed as the new Chief Executive Officer of the Association of Irish Racecourses (AIR) and begins his role later this month. He will replace Paddy Walsh, who is retiring after over two decades in the position, on Mar. 31. Hensey was most recently the Chief Operating Officer of Al Shaqab Racing, and he also worked with the Turf Club for six years. Previously, he also spent almost 15 years managing the Curragh Racecourse and training grounds and was also a member of AIR. He served two...

Paddy Walsh, the chief executive of the Association of Irish Racecourses, is to step down from his role early next year after two decades at the held. AIR is an independent, not-for-profit entity which represents those who own and operate Ireland's 26 racecourses. He will retire in March 2023. He said, "I will be officially retiring on March 31, 2023. In the interim, there are a few months of important work ahead of us. In order to find the best possible candidate for the position, we have decided to make...