suzanne eade | Horse Racing Free Tips

Coursetrack Set to Roll Out at Irish Tracks for 2024

Starting in 2024, all 26 Irish Racecourses will have live in-race timing information for all races broadcast on-screen and published online, the Horse Racing Ireland (HRI), Association of Irish Racecourses (AIR), Sports Information Services (SIS) and Racecourse Media Group (RMG) announced on Friday. The feature is part of the recently concluded media rights renewal between the organizations.

The system is operated by RMG's timing partners, Coursetrack. Runners will carry lightweight GPS trackers designed to fit within the saddlecloths and transmit data directly to a centralised operation at Racing TV's London studios. Coursetrack already is in operation at Leopardstown, Dundalk and Fairyhouse.

More transmitted data includes race clock, leader's speed, leader's time per furlong and distance to finish.

“Racecourses in Ireland enter a new media rights environment from January and it is imperative that we ensure there is as much information as possible for those who want to bet on the action on our tracks,” Suzanne Eade, CEO of Horse Racing Ireland, said. The rollout of timing data from Coursetrack will be a key element in that, and I warmly welcome today's announcement.”

Sectional time reports for each race will be published in the results section on RacingTV and other affiliated websites the day after racing.

“Pace is arguably the single most important factor of a horse race–horses generally run best when their energy is used optimally, which means regulating their effort as evenly as possible,” Ruby Walsh, former 12-time champion jockey and now RTE, ITV and Racing TV presenter and pundit, said. “Get the pace wrong and you'll usually get the result wrong. Sectional times are vital for my role as an analyst, especially in upgrading and downgrading a horse's performance depending on how the race and their individual race was run. And while watching a race, it's just vital to have the clock to back up what your eyes are telling you about the pace of a race.”

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Cancer Trials Ireland to Create Pat Smullen Chair in Pancreatic Cancer

Cancer Trials Ireland, the national organisation dedicated to advancing cancer clinical trials, will create a new position to anchor expertise in pancreatic research in Ireland with the ambition of creating a global centre for treatment and research for a form of cancer with some of the poorest outcomes–the Pat Smullen Chair in Pancreatic Cancer at University College Dublin.

The position will require shared time between clinical work as a treating physician at St Vincent's University Hospital–the national surgical centre for pancreatic cancer–and research work at University College Dublin (UCD). Candidates from Ireland and abroad are expected to apply.

The role is named in memory of Pat Smullen, who passed away from pancreatic cancer in September 2020. Through his efforts, the Irish horse racing and breeding industry over Irish Champions Weekend in September 2019 raised €2.6 million for Cancer Trials Ireland's pancreatic cancer trials and awareness.

“The Pat Smullen Pancreatic Cancer Fund arises from various fundraising endeavours undertaken by champion jockey, Pat Smullen, his family, and the horse racing community, following his diagnosis with pancreatic cancer in March 2018. The inaugural fundraising event raised €2.6 million with further fundraising events having raised an additional €367,000 to date,” said Eibhlin Mulroe, CEO of Cancer Trials Ireland. “Sadly, Pat died in September 2020, but his legacy lives on and the fund he created has now provided new treatment options for 174 patients with pancreatic cancer, at no cost to themselves, or to the State.”

For more information on the Pat Smullen Pancreatic Cancer Fund, visit Cancer Trials Ireland.

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Media Rights Arrangements Unanimously Approved For 21 Of The Association Of Irish Racecourses By HRI Board

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 fixtures will now be progressed in timely fashion. The United Irish Racecourses (UIR), comprised of Kilbeggan, Limerick, Roscommon, Sligo and Thurles rejected the new media rights deal earlier this week. HRI will be writing to the quintet of UIR racecourses separately.

Suzanne Eade, CEO of HRI, said in a statement, “To maximise the value of the media rights on behalf of racecourses and the industry, the HRI media rights committee engaged experts to provide a comprehensive valuation of the rights of Irish racing and to assist with the production of an extensive invitation to tender. While the process has been lengthy, the benefits will be significant as it has resulted in new media rights arrangements, approved today by the HRI Board, which represent an extremely positive deal for all Irish racecourses.

“Based on future growth projections, it is hoped that the total value [of Irish media rights] could grow by an estimated further 50% by 2028.

“The outcome has been a long-term deal which will underpin the financial viability of racecourses until at least 2028 and has been unanimously approved by the media rights committee, the board of HRI and the board of AIR.

“Whilst the terms of the media rights arrangements cannot be revealed for confidentiality reasons, the Joint Bid by Sports Information Services (SIS) and Racecourse Media Group (RMG) clearly offered the best financial proposition for Irish racing media rights across all the packages on offer, which was independently validated by an expert third party.

“This will see the overall percentage of the total revenues received by racecourses growing progressively over the next five years. The income flowing to racecourses will be distributed on an open, transparent and equitable basis, with each racecourse receiving revenues largely derived from the betting turnover on their respective individual fixtures.

“There are significant safeguards built into the new arrangements for racecourses with each venue guaranteed its 2022 average per race income in 2024. An easing-in provision has also been included for the first three years of the new deal to assist smaller racecourses as the model moves to a turnover basis. Virtually all racecourses are forecast to achieve higher revenues in 2025 than at present.

“HRI is extremely concerned that confidential information pertaining to the existing media rights arrangements appears to have been disclosed in breach of the strict confidentiality terms within the existing contract. It is deeply regrettable that confidential and commercially sensitive information within the proposed contractual arrangements for the future rights also appears to have been disclosed. HRI will continue to respect the confidential basis on which the bids were made.

“Much has been said in the media of the HRI earnings in this media rights agreement but without acknowledging that the earnings go directly back to developing the industry, assisting racecourses with capital development grants, paying for other racecourse supports and contributing to the funding of additional fixtures which provide opportunities for owners, trainers, jockeys and all industry participants. HRI has always been conscious of the role it plays in the industry and has consistently listened and reacted to the concerns of racecourses of every size in consecutive rights negotiations.”

To read Eade's full statement, please click here.

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HRI Prioritise Prize Money In 2023 Budget

Suzanne Eade, chief executive of Horse Racing Ireland, has once again prioritised prize-money in the budget with €68.6m set to be on offer across 390 fixtures in 2023.

That represents a 2.5% rise on the pot that was on offer in 2022 while HRI also announced several other key industry supports and a contribution of over €1m to other initiatives on Wednesday.

Integrity funding is set to increase to €15.9m (+3%) while the 2023 Budget provides for investment in equine welfare activities and welfare related grant funding of €2.7m, the same level as 2022.

HRI also approved increased investment in industry education and training (from €0.6m to €0.8m) to support all sectors of the industry in achieving sustainable and best practice employment.

Next year will also see a continuation of funding for the IRE Incentive Scheme for breeders to meet the ongoing challenges posed by Brexit.

The Scheme is producing a significant multiplier effect in terms of investment at the sales, which will provide for €1.3m in vouchers that can be spent on Irish-bred horses at Irish sales next year.

Grant aid will be available to racecourses with 21 tracks receiving grants from HRI for industry-focused projects under two capital development schemes targeting key elements of the racecourse infrastructure and standards such as stable yards (capacity and facilities), weigh rooms and the racetrack itself, including the upgrading of watering systems. Under schemes covering 2022/23, 40% grant aid of €6.3m has been approved towards projects totalling approximately €15.75m.

Eade commented, “The Irish Horse Racing and Breeding Industry has stood up well to the challenges of Brexit and Covid-19 and we saw a welcome return of fans to racecourses in 2022. The investment choices for 2023 reflect a continued focus on our key strategic priorities for the industry whilst responding to some of the more recent economic challenges.

“Prize-money is a key enabler in building and maintaining the number of quality horses in training in Ireland. Approximately 70% of horses competing receive some prize money so it is important that we prioritise its growth and continued broad distribution amongst all the participants (owners, trainers, jockeys and stable staff) in order to sustain the significant rural jobs created by the industry. It is therefore very important that in 2023 HRI has been able to increase the total prize-money that will be on offer, to its highest level.

“The bedrock of the sport is the integrity of our product and HRI continues to increase our investment, building on several years of significant recent annual increases, both directly and through the vital work of the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Body. We also continue to focus on and support a broad range of targeted equine welfare initiatives.”

She added, “Recruitment, Development and Employee Retention remains a key challenge for the thoroughbred industry, so we intend to extend out our education and training offering and have backed that up with increased investment for 2023. Next year will see both the launch of a new graduate recruitment programme and the development of an educational framework for the industry.

“There are many challenges and inflationary pressures facing the breeding and racing industries, but we can take great confidence in the strong performances of our breeders at the sales in 2022, boosted by the effectiveness of the IRE Incentive Scheme in driving reinvestment in our global leading Irish bloodstock, as well as the continued international successes achieved by our horses in both Flat and National Hunt racing. The collaboration between HRI, ITBA and ITM have been instrumental in the ongoing success of the IRE scheme. Development of the grassroots remains a vital priority and hence why HRI have extended our support for the Point-to-Point sector to its highest level ever.

“2023 will also be an important year for racecourses with the signing of a new media rights deal which will underpin their financial security for the next five years. HRI will continue its investment in upgrading racecourse facilities with the short-term focus on improving industry infrastructure, while our marketing team will continue to support racecourses' promotional activities with campaigns to grow interest in our sport, drive fan engagement and increase race day attendances.”

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