Horse Racing Ireland 2009 Statistics

Horse Racing Ireland 2009 Statistics

Attendances: Down 11%,
1,392,134 to 1,225,511.
Total Betting: Down 21.3%,
€231m to €181.8m.
Prizemoney: Down 12%,
€60.4m to €52.9m.
Bloodstock Sales: Down 32%,
€99.5m to €67.5m.
Runners: Down 3.9%,
34,591 to 33,240.
Horses in Training: Down 4%,
12,119 to 11,638.
New Owners: Down 28%,
1,237 to 894.
Sponsorship: Down 13.8%,
€8.7m to €7.5m.
Fixtures: Up 0.9%, from 342 to 345.
On-Course Bookmaker Betting: Down 27.1%,
€167.2m to €121.9m.
Tote Betting: Down 13.2%,
€55.1m to €47.8m.
On-Course Betting Shops: Down 18.2%,
€14.8m to €12.1m

Horse Racing Ireland chief executive Brian Kavanagh said yesterday: “It is essential for racing to be self-financing. This can be done with a meaningful levy on betting, including all offshore internet and telephone betting, which has wrongly escaped the tax net.

“In 2002 the Irish betting industry was turning over €1 billion and generating tax of €68 million. Seven years later the betting has increased to €5.5 billion and the tax take has declined to €30 million.

"I would still be positive about the future because the basic product is so good. But we have to secure funding.”

"On the positive side, 2009 was another year of remarkable achievement for Irish horses, trainers, jockeys and breeders under both codes.

"For the second successive year, Ireland produced the flat world champion racehorse in Sea the Stars. Three of the top four flat horses in the world in 2009 were trained in Ireland and the top three were all Irish bred.

"This level of consistent success showcases our racing and breeding industry at the highest international level.

"In no other sport can Ireland claim such a level of elite achievement. Horse racing and breeding is one of the few industries in which Ireland is rightly recognised as a world leader, due to its indigenous skills base and the tradition of enlightened Government policy."