Kavanagh: ‘I Agree With Johnny – We Can’t Rest On Our Laurels With Prize-Money’

Brian Kavanagh has said that he agrees completely with Johnny Murtagh's assertion that Ireland should not be “resting on its laurels” when it comes to prize-money while Irish Racehorse Trainers Association [IRTA] chief Ryan McElligott expressed a wish that the Curragh boss's decision to up the minimum prize fund at the track to €20,000 could stir up similar change among other racecourses. 

Leopardstown, Ireland's only other Group 1 Flat track, has followed the Curragh's lead in raising its basement prize-money levels to €15,000. However, leading trainers Joseph O'Brien and Ado McGuinness echoed Murtagh's point that prize-money needs to rise at every level in order to keep the higher-class horses in training in Ireland. 

O'Brien said, “We are very lucky in Ireland to have the prize-money levels that we have and to have a government that appreciates our industry. Going forward, we have to be sure that the owners in Ireland–as they do now–want to continue to race their high-class horses in Ireland. “The fundamental thing, when encouraging people to breed and race in Ireland, is to have attractive levels of prize-money. At the moment, we are very lucky to have good prize-money but it could be better, and it is something that everyone has to be very conscious of going forward.”

He added, “We need to encourage owners to race horses in Ireland for their two- and three-year-old careers at a minimum. As the horses get older, they can compete on the international stage. The best way to encourage that is by increasing the prize-money levels across the board domestically. There are good incentives, like the Ballyhane Stakes for example, and there are other target races out there, but we need more of them. We need valuable races to encourage people to keep their Listed/Group 3 horses here and racing for longer. It is prize-money that drives investment in the industry which trickles all the way back down to trainers, jockeys, work riders, farriers and everyone else who is employed within the industry.”

When announcing that no race at the Curragh would be contested for less than €20,000 this season, former Horse Racing Ireland chief executive Kavanagh referenced how the money generated from World Pool helped drive extra income which was then regenerated into prize-money at the track. 

It is speculated that the gross revenue generated from World Pool is €500,000 per fixture. That figure is split roughly 70-30 between the racecourse in question and the Tote. 

Joseph O'Brien: says he was forced to trade a lot of his Classic prospects | Tattersalls

Kavanagh commented, “We would put a priority on prize-money and would like to do more going forward. This year, we've grown our prize-money from €14.2m to €15.3m for the year. We've upped a couple of the Group 1 races as well-the Tattersalls Gold Cup goes up from €450,000 to €500,000 and the Keeneland Phoenix Stakes will go for €300,000 to €350,000. But across the board, we have tried to increase the prize-money. We try to ensure a sponsor for every race–that's our objective here–and that helps. 

“Also, we are putting some of our own resources here at the Curragh into driving prize-money forward. That has been well received but it's only a step in the right direction. We'd like to do more in the coming years on that front. The good thing about raising prize-money, it creates momentum. So, when we raise the minimum value of races, it has a knock-on effect on the next level and the next level after that.”

When asked if the extra income generated by World Pool was the main contributing factor to raising the minimum prize-money levels, Kavanagh responded, “It's a help. We generate media rights through a number of different sources and the World Pool has emerged in the past couple of years as a source. That is one of the areas where we draw our revenue from and that's how our media rights revenue has grown. Look, it's very simple from the Curragh's point of view, we see ourselves as the industry's racecourse. If we make money, it goes to either promoting events here, developing our facilities or driving prize-money. We will always want to offer competitive prize-money and we need to take an international view towards prize-money. If you look at other jurisdictions, we need to ensure our prize-money is competitive in comparison.”

The latest media rights deal for Irish racing is rumored to be worth roughly €250m over a five-year-period with around 80 per cent of the money said to be going directly to the racecourses. 

Only a handful of Irish racecourses have the luxury of being selected for World Pool races with Kavanagh outlining a hope that the number of races added to the international schedule can grow in future. 

“That's the objective,” he said. “That is dependent on legislation in Hong Kong in particular. They have had restrictions on the number of World Pool days that they can offer. Those restrictions have loosened slightly. Last year for example, we had the Irish Derby card, but this year we have added two races-the Irish 1,000 Guineas and the Tattersalls Gold Cup-to the World Pool, so that is very welcome. 

“We will always work with the Hong Kong authorities and the UK Tote Group to drive that further but it is contingent on quality international racing and strong field sizes as well.”

While the raising of the minimum prize levels at the Curragh and Leopardstown was welcomed by IRTA members, it doesn't get away from the fact that many premier handicaps, listed and Group 3 races continue to be run for the same money-and in some cases less money-than over a decade previously. 

The Group 3 Park Express S. is a good example of that. Run for a total purse of €100,000 in 2007, the Aidan O'Brien-trained Brilliant (Ire) (Gleneagles {Ire}) took home just €41,100.00 for winning the prize at Irish racing's HQ on the opening day of the season. The total prize on offer was €68,500.

IRTA boss Ryan McElligott | Tattersalls Ireland

McElligott said, “Prize-money is unquestionably a pressing concern for trainers throughout the country. There exists a substantial level of concern that prize-money levels have dropped off from the levels they were at in the first decade of this century. Admittedly, the fixture list has grown, and obviously more fixtures means that the slices of the cake gets smaller. As a major racing jurisdiction, we have to be able to present a prize-money schedule that is attractive to international owners and incentivises people to keep horses in training in Ireland. That is vital.”

He added, “The Curragh have taken the decision to put a minimum value on every race run at the track this season, which is commendable, and I would hope that this could lead to similar movement up and down the country.” 

McGuinness, one of the most upwardly mobile trainers in the country, was responsible for five of the 23 Irish-trained runners at Lingfield, Newcastle and Chelmsford on Good Friday. 

The second most successful trainer at Dundalk behind O'Brien throughout the past five years, McGuinness pointed to a lack of valuable end-of-season targets on home shores on the all-weather for the horses he travelled to Britain last week. 

He explained, “I won three races at the end-of-season fixture at Dundalk and I got €27,000 for the three races in total prize-money. I sent out Star Harbour (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) to finish fourth at Newcastle last week and he earned €14,000. I just feel that something has to be done.”

McGuinness added, “I have to clap the Curragh on the back for raising their minimum prize-money levels. Fair play to them. Maybe other tracks will take note and do the same. But, the prize-money for the listed and Group 3 races in Ireland remains too low compared to England and abroad. 

“Not only that, but I won the Joe McGrath Handicap at the Curragh in 2009 with Toufan Express (GB) (Fraam {GB}). He picked up €34,503 for that success. Laugh A Minute (GB) (Mayson {GB}) won the same race last year and picked up only €26,550. How does that make sense?”

O'Brien concluded that, in its current format, the domestic prize-money on offer is not enough to sustain a training operation as big as his Owning Hill.

He explained, “Ultimately, we are traders. It's obvious when you look at our top two-year-olds from last year and where they are in training now. A lot of them have been traded on to Hong Kong and America. 

“Sadly, that means we won't be as well-represented as we could have been in the Classics this season because those horses are now racing abroad. That is the bottom line. We understand that and we do what's right for our owners. A lot of that time, that means we have to trade. Sometimes that means we race them on. But the fact of the matter is, people have to trade the way things are with prize-money at the moment.”

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‘We Need To Stop Telling Ourselves How Great We Are – Prize-Money Isn’t Good Enough’

Leading trainer Johnny Murtagh has identified the leading juvenile prospects that he is looking forward to unleashing this season but spoke out about the increased levels of frustration that trainers are facing when it comes to hanging on to their big-name stars due to what he describes as stagnant levels of prize-money in Ireland. 

The Group 1-winning handler has called on Horse Racing Ireland, who announced a €1.4 million increase to prize-money [to €69.4 million] for 2024 in the latest budget, not to rest on its laurels. 

Murtagh, who runs Daamberdiplomat (Ire) (Cotai Glory {GB}) and Final Voyage (Ire) (Camacho {GB}) in valuable all-weather contests at Lingfield and Newcastle respectively on Friday, explained that, with the rising costs that have come with running a busy training yard, he needs to clear €1 million in prize-money per season. 

He also called for a €100,000 race to be run in Ireland on a weekly basis throughout the Flat season and labelled some of the purses on offer for the feature races at the Curragh and Naas in the opening weeks of the new season as “not good enough.”

The Curragh-based handler said, “We should have a 100-grand race every week in Ireland. Look at the Group 3 Devoy Stakes at Naas the other day–that should be a 100-grand  race but the winner got €23,600. The Group 3 Gladness Stakes at the Curragh was the same–the winner got just over €40,000. That's no good. How can we keep the best horses in Ireland with that sort of prize-money? If it keeps going the way that it is, we won't have those horses in Ireland.”

Murtagh added, “Take horses like Final Voyage and Daamberdiplomat, who I run at Newcastle and at Lingfield on Friday, for example. There is nothing for those horses at Dundalk. The prize-money in England is going up. The way they are going, they'll be looking down on us. “There are a lot of 50-grand races on the Flat in England now. Look at the prize-money at Newcastle, Lingfield and even Chelmsford on Friday and compare that to the final meeting of the year at Dundalk. There's no comparison. Not only that, they have the Racing League and many other valuable handicaps over in Britain. It's not the same in Ireland. HRI shouldn't be resting on its laurels.”

Murtagh sent out 41 winners domestically in 2023 and cleared the €1 million mark. In fact, he has earned over €1 million in each of the past four seasons in Ireland but admitted that he may be forced to travel horses more in future if prize-money levels remain the same on home soil.

He continued, “I'm looking at where the prize-money is now. Before, it wouldn't pay you to travel over to Britain. Nowadays, you have to travel for the prize-money. We need to stop telling ourselves how great we are in Ireland. It's very frustrating that we are buying horses to sell them in Ireland now. It shouldn't be the case that when, a horse reaches a certain level, it makes more sense to move him on because he can't win even close to what is being offered by the foreign market.  

“When you come across a horse rated 100, for example, you should be thinking, 'brilliant, I have a horse capable of paying his way for the owners this year,' but it's not the case at all. As I said, there should be a 100-grand race in Ireland every week. The prize-money just isn't good enough.”

Just four juveniles made up last year's tally of 41 winners. That number was down from 14 in 2022, eight in 2021 and seven in 2020. In an effort to boost his juvenile stats for this season, Murtagh returned to the yearling sales last year and added roughly 20 youngsters to the team on spec, most of which have now been sold.

He explained, “I didn't buy any yearlings a couple of years ago–just trained what was sent to me-and we only had four two-year-old winners last season as a result. I went and bought 20 two-year-old types at the yearling sales last year and I have most of them sold by now. The sweet spot used to be between 20 and 50 grand but it's getting harder and harder to buy those nice horses now. 

“We have a nucleus of people who support us every year. Fitzwilliam Racing used to buy between eight and 10 yearlings every year but they didn't shop last year so we had to go out and find a few more people.”

He added, “It's been difficult. Most of the big owners have their own agents that they like to use. I rarely get orders. I go out and buy the horses on spec and, when you are spending your own money, you approach the sales differently. I think I only had three orders to go and fill at the yearling sales last year. The rest I bought myself and got sold afterwards.”

When shopping the yearling sales, Murtagh says that he has certain criteria that he tries to fill when recruiting future runners to the stable. 

He explained, “We buy an early type who might take us to Royal Ascot, a filly who could win a maiden or get placed in a maiden and then get sold on to America, and then the back-end middle-distance horse who might be good enough for Australia in time. The main thing you're looking for is a horse that you might be able to trade on. Listen, that's the only way you can survive in this business in Ireland. It's terrible when you have to buy horses to sell them. We're becoming a nursery for abroad and that's the problem.”

The Aga Khan, for whom Murtagh enjoyed some memorable days in the saddle for, remains a loyal supporter with seven juveniles in training at Fox Covert stables and reportedly more on the way. 

However, Murtagh explained that, along with the illustrious Aga Khan pedigrees that the stable has the luxury of working with, there are many recruits to the yard that have been less obvious.

He said, “We have seven two-year-olds for the Aga Khan in training at the moment and there are still a couple more to come in. There is a Wootton Bassett (GB) colt out of Tanaza (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), who goes well, while they also have a nice Footstepsinthesand  (GB) colt here as well.”

Murtagh added, “I like shopping at the yearling sales because it keeps your eye in. We don't even look at what the horses are by any more. We try to look at every single horse if we can because Lord Rapscallion (Ire), he was by Alhebayeb (Ire), Champers Elysees (Ire) by Elzaam (Aus) and Create Belief (Ire) by Awtaad (Ire). If you are looking at the page first, rather than the model, you won't be able to buy them.”

Colts

Oasis Dream (GB) colt out of Its A Given (GB) (Bated Breath {GB})
Bought by: Johnny Murtagh/Linehan Bloodstock for €40,000 at Goffs Orby Book 2
Owner: Paddy Woods 
Comment: This fella is tough, sharp and hardy. He looks ready to go. He may want fast ground so we will need to wait for the ground to dry up. 

Ardad (Ire) colt out of Sugar Hiccup (Ire) (Refuse To Bend {Ire}) 
Noel Hartley
Bought by Johnny Murtagh / Linehan Bloodstock for €50,000 at the Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale
I haven't had an Ardad before but Eddie [Linehan] was keen to get one as he said he's a sire who gets very good two-year-olds. This lad is sharp and fast. He looks a typical two-year-old type and is exactly what we wanted to have to go to war with this year. 

Study Of Man (Ire) colt out of Kesarina (GB) (Medicean {GB})
Bought by ATS Racing for €40,000 at the Goffs Orby Part 2 Sale 
Tony Smurfit
A nice colt for the second half of the season. Paddy Twomey has a very nice horse by Study Of Man, Deepone, the winner of the Beresford last year, and he could be a nice horse in the making.

Zoustar (Aus) colt out of Abbakova (Ire) (Dandy Man {Ire})
Bought by FCS Bloodstock/Linegan Bloodstock for £72,000 at the Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale
I have had a bit of luck with the stallion. We had Young Champion (Ire), which he is known as in Hong Kong, finish second in a Listed race at Naas for us before being sold out there. This lad reminds me a bit of him. 

Fillies

Unnamed
Blue Point (Ire) filly out Ridge Ranger (Ire) (Bushranger {Ire})
Bought by  FCS Bloodstock / Linehan Bloodstock for 215,000gns at Book 2 at the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale
Wellspec
This filly was bought on behalf of Welspec, who also had Malacanne (Ire) (Raven's Pass) with me. She is the first Blue Point I have trained and we were delighted to get her. Blue Point did unbelievably well last year. She's very sharp and is showing us plenty. Hopefully she'll be out by May. 

Mehmas (Ire) filly out of Under Offer (Ire) (Bated Breath {GB})
Mark Dobbin
Bought by Johnny Murtagh/Linehan Bloodstock for €150,000 at the Goffs Orby Book 1
She is a half-sister to Basil Martini (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}), who was a Listed winner for Joseph O'Brien. Again, she should make a sharp two-year-old and is coming along nicely with the early bunch. She probably won't be a five-furlong filly but maybe six furlongs could suit her well and she should be out soon. She's owned by Mark Dobbin who is a good supporter. 

Kodiac (Ire) filly out of Castellated {GB})
Mark Dobbin 
Bought by FCS Bloodstock / Linehan Bloodstock for 165,000gns at Book 2 at the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale 
Another filly owned by Mark Dobbin, she came from Tally-Ho Stud and we like her a lot. I haven't had many by the sire but we're looking forward to this one.

Havana Grey (GB) filly out of Freckles (GB) (Arakan)
Bought by Johnny Murtagh/Linehan Bloodstock/Nick Bradley Racing at the Goffs Orby Sale Book 2 for €85,000
Nick Bradley has a very nice Havana Grey filly with me. She's probably one of my sharper fillies. Hopefully we'll get her out before the end of April. Nick saw her first–it was him who put her to me. He told me he was out at 50 grand and then when I bought her, he said he'd take half of her. I couldn't leave this filly behind me at the sales. I just kept bidding on her and I'm delighted we have her now. Nick had two horses with us last year and both of them won. In fact, I think every horse he has had with us has won. He's pretty shrewd at picking them out and hopefully this can be another. 

Belardo filly out of Shelannga (Ire) (Leroidesanimaux {Brz})
Aga Khan
I have more fillies than colts this year and this is a nice one from the Aga Khan. I haven't had many Belardos in the past but this filly goes particularly well. She is showing plenty but we're not going to rush her. She is taking all of her work really well. We have a lovely Too Darn Hot filly for the Aga Khan as well and they are just a couple that are showing the right signs at the moment. 

Inns Of Court (Ire) filly out of Wild Mix (GB) (Mastercraftsman {Ire})
Bought by Johnny Murtagh/Linehan Bloodstock for €50,000 at the Goffs Autumn Yearling Sale
Tony Smurfit
This is a half-sister to Noel Meade's good filly, Caught U Looking (Ire) (Harzand {Ire}), who did very well last year. This is a very big filly and she will be out in the back-end of the season but she is a fine filly.

Ten Sovereigns (Ire) filly out of Enharmonic (E Dubai)
Bought by Johnny Murtagh/Linehan Bloodstock for €70,000 at the Goffs Orby Sale
Michael O'Flynn
They don't give stallions a long time to make a name for themselves these days but I'd have to say I'm a fan of Ten Sovereigns and I'm looking forward to this filly. She'll be out in the second half of the season.

Raven's Pass filly out of Seschat (Ire) (Sinndar {Ire})
Bought by Syndicates Racing for €22,000 at the Goffs Orby Book 1 Sale
Syndicates Racing
She is backward–she's a big girl. I think Jack [Cantillon] has all the shares sold in this filly and she's nice.

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‘He Could Be What The Market Is Looking For,’ – Heavyweights Weigh In On Stallion Trail

Whether you're a trainer, a pre-trainer, a breeder or just a general racing nut, it seems as though the Irish Stallion Trail was the place to be on Friday and Saturday. But how much can be gleaned from two days of stallion parades? Quite a lot, actually. 

Relationships have been forged and business has been done on the Trail and luminaries of the industry Johnny Murtagh, Dick Brabazon, Guillaume Vitse and Craig McCracken were left singing the praises of Irish Thoroughbred Marketing [ITM] for what proved to be another stellar weekend. 

Vitse was a notable force on the Trail. Breeder of Unquestionable (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), winner of the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf, the master of Normandie Breeding was at Coolmore Stud on Friday where the Frenchman promised to make the most of his visit to Ireland.

Vitse said, “It was lovely to see Wootton Bassett. We tried to see him last year but obviously he wasn't here because he was in Australia. We also went to Rathbarry, Castlehyde, Coolmore and Ballylinch today. We are going to Yeomanstown, Kildangan, the Irish National Stud and Tally-Ho Stud on Saturday.”

He added, “I am a big fan of Blackbeard (Ire). He is a stunning horse. I really fancy him. He is just what my wife [Camille] and myself love in a horse. He's the perfect mover and he has everything. I love him. 

“I like quality horses and this guy, from my point of view, has so much quality. I really like Sottsass (Fr) as well. He's another really good mover. He has a short back and is very strong and was a champion racehorse as well. Sottsass and Blackbeard are very different horses but we like both of them.”

While France offers the Route des Etalons, the Irish Stallion Trail is a slightly newer phenomenon with over 30 stallion farms opening its doors to visitors across the two days and Vitse voiced his support of the initiative. 

He said, “This is my first time doing the Stallion Trail. It was pretty cool to go around and see the stallions. I think the Stallion Trail, just like the Route des Etalons, provides you with a good opportunity to meet a lot of people. I think it's a very good initiative and now we have a good idea about the stallions we like. When we get back home, we will discuss with our partners the right pick for our mares.”

Asked what stallions he was most looking forward to viewing on Sunday, Vitse added, “Mehmas (Ire). I am really looking forward to seeing him. I am looking forward to seeing Good Guess (GB) and Kodiac (GB) as well. It is probably the last few years we can use Kodiac so it will be good to see him.”

Leading Irish breeder Craig McCracken of McCracken Farms, top trainer Johnny Murtagh and renowned pre-trainer Dick Brabazon were others who reported to have gotten huge value from the two-day event. 

McCracken said, “I've been to Coolmore, Yeomanstown, Tally-Ho, Starfield and Kildangan. Of the cheaper stallions, I'd give Dubawi Legend (Ire) a chance. I have a breeding right in the horse but he did finish second in a Dewhurst and he is a son of Dubawi (Ire) so I can't see him not working. He has every chance at a price. Good Guess (GB) was one of the main takeouts of the weekend for me. He's a very slick horse, a lovely cross between Kodiac (GB) and Pivotal (GB). He could be what the market is looking for. He's a very obvious one for me. At our level, and of the stallions we can afford, I'd be weighing in behind Good Guess, Little Big Bear (Ire) and Native Trail (Ire). Those are the ones who have caught our imagination.”

He added, “I'd be a big fan of the weekend. I mean, in what other industry would you get it? Would the manager of your local football club get the opportunity to pick the brains of Pep Guardiola? The answer is no. Take Mrs Tally-Ho [Anne O'Callaghan] for example. That woman could run the country. For me to have the opportunity to run my thoughts through some of the best in the business, that has to be worth something, so the weekend is of huge value to me.”

It wasn't just the breeders who were out in force. Murtagh and Brabazon were other notable figures to be getting the miles in with the latter revealing the weekend provided a huge networking opportunity.

Brabazon said, “I have one mare and, while I am unlikely to be using some of the top stallions, my clients are using the stallions and it's very important for me to be able to talk to them and say that I have seen the stallions. That's what's important. You see the good points and the bad points and you're clued in to what traits they might pass on to their progeny. 

“Also, when you see horses on the racetrack, it's fascinating to see how they have developed as stallions. Paddington (GB) for example, he's a fine-looking horse but you can still see the racehorse in him, and I can't wait to go back and see him next year when you will see the stallion in him. The other thing I became very aware of is that Siyouni (Fr) is becoming a very important influence. You have Paddington and St Mark's Basilica (Fr) at Coolmore. If you went back a few years, he didn't exist. Now, he's a very important influence. We're slowly seeing the changeover from Galileo (Ire).”

He added, “I did quite a bit of small bits of business on the Trail. I bumped into clients at Ballylinch and we got to talk about their horses. It's an important networking opportunity and I think it's wonderful. We should open up the training yards, open up the studs, and open up the industry more going forward. We're building up the interest in the industry in the sport over those two days and that can't be a bad thing.

“The studs are great that way. I'll give an example, I was down at Coolmore and, the group in front of us, a lot of the visitors had special needs. There was nobody rushing them through or anything like that. They got the same treatment as everyone and it wasn't a case of Coolmore selling a breeding right or anything like that. I think that shows a bit of class from Coolmore and fair play to them for providing everyone on the tour with the same level of care and attention.”

Murtagh has won some of the best races around the world as a jockey. Think Sinndar (Ire), Yeats (Ire) and High Chaparral (Ire). In his role as a trainer, he was busy scouting some of the new kids on the block and he wasn't disappointed.

He said, “We have one mare here belonging to us and I just went down to Kildangan Stud to have a look at some of the stallions I never saw before. I never saw Blue Point (Ire) before and, given he had a phenomenal year, I was keen to see him. On the Friday of the tour, you probably get more of the breeders in attendance while the Saturday is more of a casual racing fan. But, listen, as trainers, we probably don't get around to see these wonderful stud farms as much as we'd like. There were a lot of nice horses on show and we'll probably go and see some of the stallions at the Irish National Stud on Saturday as well.”

Asked about his thoughts on some of the younger sires coming through, Murtagh said, “We've a King Of Change, an Arizona, an Earthlight and a few others by first-season sires. We try to buy a few first-season sires because you never know who is going to be the next superstar. We buy the yearlings on spec. We went last year to the sales with the idea of buying two-year-old types and we bought Havana Greys, Kodiacs, Mehmases, Ardads and Oasis Dreams. You know, we have two-year-old types and we go and buy as many as we can on spec then we try to sell them when we get back. It's a tough business and we put our own money up front but we buy the horses we like and you need to have those two-year-old types.”

 

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RACE In Disarray After 21 Job Losses And Jockeys’ Course Scrapped

The Racing Academy and Centre of Education (RACE), which has produced luminaries of the saddle like Johnny Murtagh, Seamie Heffernan, Chris Hayes and Shane Foley, has been forced to cull two thirds of its workforce in order to save the institution's future.

A massive 21 of the 31 staff have been told they are no longer needed at RACE and the decision is understood to have come as a major shock to the workforce.

The 10-month residential trainee jockey course, which has also been completed by top-notch jump jockeys such as Brian Hughes and Daryl Jacob, has been discontinued and replaced by three courses over shorter periods. In the case of all three new courses, the students will no longer live on the campus and the courses will no longer have an academic element.

The restructuring of the facility has been overseen by Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) and comes after accommodation blocks at RACE were closed last month due to safety concerns.

HRI appointed an interim CEO at RACE when such issues arose and, following a strict overhaul, just 10 staff will remain.

RACE is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, but the future of the esteemed programme will look very different given students will no longer be based on site and the traditional jockeys' course has now been scrapped.

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