Second Irish all-weather track to open by 2022 as HRI reveals five-year plan

Ireland will have a second all-weather track in use by 2022 after Horse Racing Ireland revealed the redevelopment of Tipperary remains a key objective when it unveiled an ambitious five-year strategic plan at the Curragh on Tuesday.

There will be 416 fixtures in Ireland in 2024, up from 377 in 2021, with prize-money expected to reach €90 million over the next five years. The minimum race value will also increase from €10,000 to €12,500 and the aspiration is that the number of horses in training will grow from almost 8,561 to more than 10,000 according to the 2020-2024 strategic plan.

Dundalk is Ireland’s only all-weather venue, but that will change with the development of Tipperary to add an all-weather track to its existing courses. It had originally pitched to be completed by 2021 but that projection was shelved when central funding was frozen in the most recent budget.

HRI chief executive Brian Kavanagh insists it will be a game-changer as it is a joint project with the county council in the area. He said: "Tipperary is going to be different to any track you have seen before. It is a joint project with Tipperary County Council, and it will be a community-type racecourse.

"We’ve submitted proposals to the rural regeneration scheme for funding assistance with this. It will be more than just a racetrack. It will be a starter centre for young trainers and there will also be a lot of non-equine activities on site.

"Tipperary is a town which has lacked investment and been left behind in the recovery. There is a strong move to develop community facilities and we want the racecourse to be a part of that. We’ve been really encouraged by the reaction since we went to Tipperary County Council. They have come on board and supported this plan very readily.

"It does set a template for how racecourses see themselves in the wider community. And, more importantly, how a community see a racecourse. Not just a place which opens up 18 or 20 times a year and clogs up traffic in the town but rather a place which can give something back to the community."

HRI's strategic 2020-2024 plan

• Second all-weather track in Tipperary completed and opened by 2022
• Increase attendances to 1.5m by 2024
• Total sustainable employment to 35,000
• Increase fixtures to 416, and minimum race value of €12,500
• Education and training programme to meet industry’s employment needs
• Progressively increase funding of horseracing from €67m in 2019 to €98m by 2024
• Prize money to reach €90m by 2024

A contribution of up to €30m has been pledged towards a new capital development scheme of at least €70m to support racecourses in Ireland. And, the creation of a second all-weather track at Tipperary, at an estimated cost of €10m, will be within this fund.

It is also hoped there will be one stable per horse for runners at all racecourses by 2022.

HRI has also slapped a target of 1.5 million racegoers going through the turnstiles at Irish meetings in 2024.

Kavanagh said: “It is important the trend of attendance growth continues and we are confident of reaching our targets by broadening interest and appeal in Irish horse racing with a number of initiatives including continued roll-out of the racecourse Wi-Fi scheme, a loyalty programme and an enhanced advance tickets sales strategy which will be in place by next year with the target of 1.5 million racegoers in 2024."

On equine welfare, there will be a whole-of-life traceability system developed this year and a co-design policy-making project completed. Thirty-day foal notifications will become mandatory and an e-passport with multi-functionality will be introduced for the 2022 foal crop.

HRI chairman Nicky Hartery said of the five-year plan: "The most recent analysis shows that for every euro of government support the racing and breeding industry receives, it returns over €30 to the economy, mostly in rural Ireland. This strategic plan seeks to build on that dynamic and further grow what is a sustainable and indigenous industry."

He added: "The areas we have identified that will deliver our vision are: increased participation at all levels; a focused plan to broaden the interest and appeal of racing; ensuring we have the best employment policies for our industry; and building on our strong record to ensure the best-in-class integrity and equine welfare standards. All of this will need investment and that is contingent upon delivery of a sustainable funding model for our industry.

"Following a series of changes in betting tax arrangements, off-course betting duty collected by the government in the year amounted to €94m in 2019. This figure comfortably exceeds Exchequer funding provided to horse racing and a projected growth in these receipts in the coming years will allow for a progressive increase in funding to €98m by 2024 at a reduced cost to the Exchequer."

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