HRI

Full-year statistics for 2024, released on Thursday by Horse Racing Ireland (HRI), showed increases in the key metrics of attendances, commercial sponsorship and on-course betting. Attendance figures for the first six months of 2024 were 1.5% behind the corresponding period of 2023, which HRI attributed to a combination of bad weather, adverse ground conditions and an extraordinary number of rescheduled fixtures. However, the end-of-year figure of 1.24 million is up 0.5%, with strong returns from the Irish Champions Festival, Listowel Festival, Navan Racing Festival and Christmas Festivals at Leopardstown and...

Nominations have opened for the 2025 Irish Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards (TIEA), sponsored by Godolphin and supported by the Irish Stable Staff Association, Horse Racing Ireland (HRI), the Irish Thoroughbred Breeders' Association and the Racing Post. The awards recognise and reward the exceptional skills, experience and dedication of the hardworking women and men in the Thoroughbred breeding and racing industry. Anyone can nominate a friend or colleague for an award. Nominations are open until 5pm on Tuesday, February 25 and must be completed online at www.itiea.org. This industry-wide celebration of...

A total of 38 individuals have been nominated for the 2024 Horse Racing Ireland Awards, HRI announced on Wednesday. Among the Horse of the Year candidates are a trio horses who were unbeaten this season: jumpers State Man (Fr) (Doctor Dino {Fr}) and Teahupoo (Fr) (Masked Marvel {GB}), and top-notch stayer Kyprios (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), while other nominees are Derby winner City Of Troy (Justify), mile specialist Porta Fortuna (Ire) (Caravaggio), and Cheltenham Gold Cup hero Galopin Des Champs (Fr) (Timos {Ger}).The full list of nominees is below: Horse of...

Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) and the New York State Thoroughbred Breeding and Development Fund have signed a memorandum of understanding to leverage and expand the two parties' shared commitment regarding their respective racing and breeding jurisdictions. Recognising a shared interest in fostering a cooperative relationship, both parties aim to cross-promote the participation of Thoroughbred breeders, owners, trainers and racehorses across both jurisdictions. According to a press release issued by HRI on Wednesday, "The memorandum of understanding demonstrates a mutual commitment to advancing and promoting the growth and success of both...

Coursetrack, the live, in-race timing information system, is now in place at all 26 Irish racecourses, Racecourse Media Group (RMG) announced on Friday. The final course to receive the system was Laytown. Horses carry lightweight GPS trackers, designed to fit within the saddlecloth. In-race data for all races in Ireland--including race clock, leader's speed, leader's time per furlong and distance to finish--is supplied to networks, including RTE, Virgin Media, ITV and Racing TV, for live broadcasts. The data has been published online for all races at all Irish racecourses from...

Ciaran Flynn has been appointed general manager of Navan Racecourse, it was announced by Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) on Thursday. Flynn will take up his position with immediate effect and succeeds Aidan McGarry, who was in May named as the new general manager of Naas Racecourse. Flynn has worked in the sport industry since 2013 and held various operational roles in high performance sport with Paralympics Ireland, Tennis Ireland and the Sport Ireland Institute. He has held the role of operations lead at Navan since 2022. "I'm thrilled to be...

A new series of races designed to spread investment in Irish National Hunt racing was announced by Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) on Thursday. Beginning on January 1, 2025, HRI will schedule 60 races throughout the calendar year which will be restricted to trainers who have trained less than 50 Irish National Hunt winners in either of the last two full Irish National Hunt seasons. Races in this series will include bumpers, maiden hurdles, beginners steeplechases and handicap hurdles. Jonathan Mullin, HRI's director of racing, said, "This series of 60 races...

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...