Horse Racing Ireland | Horse Racing Free Tips

Owners Remain Barred From Irish Courses

The Irish government has extended its racing-behind-closed-doors policy until at least Sept. 13, Racing Post reported on Tuesday. As a result, owners remain barred from Irish courses for the time being as a result of Taoiseach Micheal Martin’s announcement. Originally, in phase four of Ireland’s reopening process the limit on people allowed at an outdoor event was going to increase from 200 to 500 on Aug. 31.

Horse Racing Ireland Chief Executive Brian Kavanagh told Racing Post, “We have said all along that owners are the first priority and there is a strong sense that, when the time comes, there has to be more than just a gesture in getting owners back on to the track.

“We have to do right by them. The difficulty is the constantly changing situation with this virus meaning the government has not been able to up the gatherings of people at an outdoor event from 200 to 500 and we have said all along that we would mirror the government’s phasing. Owners are foremost in our minds but we are regrettably still involved in a battle with this virus and restrictions are tightening, not loosening.”

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Overseas Buyers Barred From Attending Tattersalls Ireland Derby, May Store Sales Due To COVID-19

As previously announced, Tattersalls Ireland, HRI, ITM and Goffs submitted protocols to NPHET (National Public Health Emergency Team) to allow overseas purchasers to attend the sales in Ireland. Because of the increased level of new cases, and a concern in relation to the spread of COVID-19, we have been informed that permission to use the protocols to bring in overseas purchasers has not been granted, therefore the current guidelines regarding travel to Ireland will apply for both the Derby Sale and May Store Sale.

Both the Derby Sale and May Store Sale will take place at Fairyhouse as planned and the Tattersalls Ireland team will be available to assist those buyers now unable to attend the sales in any way possible. We will maximize the number of videos available of the stores in the sales, and buyers will be able to participate through the new live internet bidding platform or through telephone bidding via the Tattersalls Ireland team.

Commenting on the update Tattersalls Ireland CEO Matt Mitchell said:

“Naturally we are disappointed that our joint submission to government has not been approved, but we fully respect the decision and will continue to do everything in our power to ensure that the Derby and May Store Sales run as smoothly as possible. While the sales will take place under strict protocols, we will be working tirelessly to assist purchasers in any way we can, in particular those who cannot be present due to the travel constraints. We regret not being able to welcome to Fairyhouse our overseas purchasers whose loyalty has being rewarded with purchases that consistently deliver on the track. While the circumstances are difficult, we believe they are not insurmountable and our new live internet bidding platform and telephone bidding facilities will be at the disposal of all those unable to attend the sales.”

Brian Kavanagh, HRI Chief Executive added:

“Like many other sectors, COVID-19 is having a serious impact on all aspects of our business and the international travel consequences are becoming ever more complicated. While some potential purchasers may not be able to attend in person, the current situation requires us to be as creative as possible and through Irish Thoroughbred Marketing, Horse Racing Ireland will assist Tattersalls Ireland and their international buyers in any way we can.”

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Heider Family Stables to Sponsor G3 Round Tower S.

American-based owner Scott Heider and his family will sponsor the G3 Round Towner S., The Curragh announced on Thursday. The six-furlong contest for 2-year-olds will be held on Aug. 28. Heider’s yellow and red colours are under the Heider Family Stables banner. They have been carried to victory by Kitten’s Joy colt Crossfirehurricane in the G3 CoolmoreTen Sovereigns Gallinule S. in June.

“It’s just been a fantastic experience for us,” Heider reflected, on his five-year involvement with Irish racing. “We love our partnership with Joseph O’Brien and we’ve been very fortunate to race some talented individuals on Irish racecourses the last few years including Crossfirehurricane, A New Dawn (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}), Take A Deep Breath (GB) (Bated Breath {GB}) and our latest winner, an American Pharoah filly named Pista. Horse Racing Ireland has been a pleasure to work with as they always seem to go out of their way to make sure our experience is quite special.”

The Curragh Racing and Sponsorship Manager Evan Arkwright added, “We are very grateful to Scott and his family for their generous support and hope the sponsorship of the Round Tower S. will be the start of a very positive partnership between us. Scott’s racing colours have become very familiar to Irish racing fans and following the victory of Crossfirehurricane in the G3 Coolmore Ten Sovereigns Gallinule S. in June, we hope that he will enjoy many more successes at The Curragh.”

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Longines Irish Champions Weekend to Be Held Without Spectators

The Longines Irish Champions Weekend, held Sept. 12-13, will take place behind closed doors, the Longines Irish Champions Weekend Committee confirmed on Wednesday. The committee’s recommendation, which was made as the COVID-19 pandemic continues, was approved by the Board of Horse Racing Ireland at their July meeting on Monday, July 20. The Sept. 12 card at Leopardstown features the G1 Irish Champion S., and G1 Coolmore America ‘Justify’ Matron S. The Curragh plays host on the second day, with four Group 1 races on tap: the Comer Group International Irish St Leger, the Goffs Vincent O’Brien National S., the Moyglare Stud S. and the Derrinstown Stud Flying Five S.

“With less than eight weeks to go before Longines Irish Champions Weekend, it was the committee’s view that this was the optimum time to give people certainty,” said HRI Racecourses Chief Executive Paul Dermody. “It is a great shame that our feature weekend of Flat racing will not be enjoyed by racegoers in person this September, but we will ensure a warm welcome for everybody when they return next year. In the meantime, we will be refunding all of those who availed of early-bird and advance ticket offers. We will now focus our attention on providing racing fans with a brilliant at-home experience.”

Added Harry McCalmont, Chairman of the Longines Irish Champions Weekend Committee, “We had dearly hoped that circumstances would allow us have racegoers back on the racecourse for Longines Irish Champions Weekend but that doesn’t look at all likely so it is best to make a call on it now. It is a great pity, but we still have a wonderful weekend of racing to look forward to. The committee would like to take the opportunity to thank the sponsors of all races for their loyalty and we look forward with interest to see the array of horses that will line up at Leopardstown and The Curragh.”

It was also announced on Wednesday that the seven-day Listowel Harvest Festival from Sept. 20-26 would also be conducted without spectators. The Listowel Race Company Committee met on Tuesday evening, and, after consulting with Horse Racing Ireland, decided to hold the festival behind closed doors. The Guinness Kerry National is the featured highlight.

Pat Healy, Chairman of Listowel Race Company, said, “In these unprecedented times, and in line with Government guidelines, the Listowel Race Company has made the extremely difficult decision to race behind closed doors, this means the event will not be open to the general public this year. The health and safety of everyone is our number one priority and with crowd restrictions in place, it would be very difficult for us to run the festival, as it attracts significant numbers of visitors to Listowel each year.”

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