Media rights potential and opportunity drive increase in Irish fixtures for 2021

A commercial imperative arising out of media rights deals and a desire to create increased opportunities have been cited by Horse Racing Ireland chief executive Brian Kavanagh as the reasons for a three per cent increase in the number of fixtures for 2021.

HRI published the fixture list on Thursday which sees the total number of scheduled meetings increase by ten from the 370 that had been slated for this year before the coronavirus intervened and prompted a three-month shutdown from March 24. The revised 2020 fixture list caters for 331 meetings.

The authority is planning for seven extra turf fixtures, which includes Punchestown retaining the Flat meeting it held earlier this month, and three extra meetings at Dundalk.

That ensures a winter schedule at the all-weather facility of two meetings a week on late Wednesday afternoons and Friday evenings throughout November and December when demand is at its peak.

The revelation that 380 meetings would be hosted next year was somewhat unexpected given the industry showed understandable contractions in the six-month statistics to June with the number of active owners down 14 per cent and horses-in-training down two per cent.

Likewise, prize-money, which has undergone tiered cuts from ten per cent up to 50 per cent at the highest level, remains a pressure point.

"There is an opportunity to put on extra fixtures next year in line with our various media rights agreements so we have taken advantage of that," Kavanagh said on Thursday. "But we also want to drive the industry through this crisis and provide as many opportunities as we can for people and horses.

"It is not a dramatic increase and I think it is important to send the signal out that we are open for business, and encourage people to keep and put horses in training.

Brian Kavanagh: 'It is important to send the signal out that we are open for business'Credit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

"The prize-money situation will depend on our overall funding position and we have always put a large store on prize-money. That will continue, but over the next month or six weeks we are into the hard budgeting period for next year so it will be foremost in our thoughts."

HRI's government funding for 2020 remained at the level it was in 2019, with €67.2m directed its way from the central exchequer. The 2021 budget will be published on October 13.

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