Twenty-Twenty Vision

“As Chief Executive of Horse Racing Ireland, I am delighted to announce HRI’s Annual Report for 2020. It has been a year of huge increases in key indicator areas such as attendances, revenue and prizemoney. Irish racing’s finances have never been in a more healthy state. The following is a brief summation of how we have got here.(1) Crowds going through the gates of Ireland’s racecourses have never been greater. Overall figures dwarf those of twenty years ago. Of course the vast majority have no interest in racing but are instead entering our track casinos – or ‘racinos’ – in order to play the slots and the multitudinous other ways to gamble in our ultra-modern hotel and leisure complexes.The result is that most of our customers now have their backs to the action on the racecourse. But the revenue stream is massive enough to more than justify the government decision to grant casino licences to HRI in return for an end to state subsidies which had proven an electoral disaster for our political allies.(2) The move to reducing Ireland’s racecourse population to just ten tracks has been hugely beneficial despite any outcry there may have been when we announced our decision ten years ago. The reduction has been more gradual than ideal but vitally we are now able to concentrate our resources.(3) Central to that has been the move to all-weather racing. All eight of our flat tracks are exclusively polytrack, allowing low-cost usage all year round and providing a uniformity of surface that allows our horses compete with the best from all around the world where all-weather is now the primary surface as well.(4) Ireland’s position as the last major bastion of National Hunt racing is regrettably coming under more and more pressure with just two tracks still operable. Public outcry at the fatality levels over jumps that began in Australia over a decade ago is now firmly rooted in this country too. Despite extensive advertising campaigns to counter false-information, jump racing continues to face an uphill battle.(5) Initial attempts to introduce discussions on the possibilities of a Tote monopoly were rebuffed with such ferocity by the bookmaking lobby that they have been shelved indefinitely. Legislatively there are too many obstacles to emulate the off-course bookmaking model that works so well in Australia. However enough political will has been exerted to substantially increase payments from the major chains and internet firms in return for leaving them more or less alone.(6) One result of more bookmaker revenue is the format of our race programmes. Cards containing a dozen races are now routine, mostly beginning at nine o’clock at night in order to maximise betting opportunities for internet and phone betting. Such timing also coincides with increased traffic at out ‘racinos’ from those parties on a night out.(7) One unfortunate development we have not been able to counter is the continuing decline in terrestrial television coverage of racing. The domestic state broadcaster now televises just one race day a year – the Ballybirt Derby at Galway.However the good news is that a five minute slot for the race has been guaranteed, separate from the normal two hour coverage of the best dressed lady competition. Another boost is the agreement between HRI and RTE to pay Hector O’hEochagain per ‘upyboya’ on a fifty-fifty basis.(8) Finally, I am delighted to be able to announce the discovery of some rare and exotic survivors of the on-course bookmaker tribe. Previously thought to be completely extinct, a small cluster have been found running wild on the Beara Peninsula, staring resentfully out to sea, muttering how seals contribute nothing and occasionally wailing inconsolably at the price of beef rolls.The plan is to capture them, parade the calmer ones at various events until they expire, and then preserve them in formaldehyde and ethanol as mementos of another, and dare I say it, simpler time.Is mise les meas.”