Minister Charlie McCreevy is 'not pleased' with the decision of off-course bookmakers to introduce their own form of 'tax' on punters.
In the budget the Minister reduced off-course betting tax from 5% to 2% (with effect from May 1st), but bookmakers have now taken it on themselves to charge punters an extra 1% to offset the cost of a deal with the British Horseracing Board.
At the time of the budget announcement last December some leading off-course bookmakers proclaimed that they would absorb the 2%, but not only have they backtracked on that promise they now want their customers to finance the cost of racing data from the BHB.
Considering that the bookmakers deal with the BHB is linked to profits from bets struck on British racing, it seems a bit much for them to expect punters to cough up this extra 1% on bets on Irish racing.
A possible solution to this situation would be for bookmakers to allow punters to bet tax free on Irish racing, thus appeasing the irate Minister and in the process boosting interest in the home industry.
Sligo went ahead on Monday following an early morning inspection, but was that the correct decision?
The ground was bottomless and the results make grim reading. Horses tailed off in sprints, only nine of fifteen starters managed to complete a twelve furlong handicap and the same contest provided winning distances of 20 lengths, 25 lengths and 20 lengths.
65 lengths separating the first four finishers in any race is unusual, but in a flat handicap is unheard of.
So should the meeting have taken place? In Sligo's favour the evening was bright and sunny, a healthy crowd turned up and most will have enjoyed the spectacle.
From a horse's point of view it was nothing less than torture. All, bar a handful, toiled in the mud and even one winner's apparent aptitude for the surface was betrayed by his action in the closing stages.
The jockeys for their part did give their mounts an easy time once their chance of winning had gone and the majority were eased in the straight.
Limerick staged the first flat racing on their new track on Saturday. As there is no sprint track the staple diet with be 7f and 1m races. Both start in the back-straight and have a straight climb to the 4f marker. From this point the track descends on the turn. After negotiating a tight turn into the home straight runners have a little over 2f to the finish.
I feel it will be some time before jockeys figure out how best to ride this track. On fast ground it will be very hard to make progress from the 4f marker until early in the straight and by that stage the leaders may have flown.
Aidan O'Brien's 'blanket bombing' approach to Classics paid dividends once again this week with a direct hit and a near miss in the English 2000Guineas. Both Rock Of Gibraltar and Hawk Wing are talented colts so whether or not the latter should have won on the day does somewhat take away from the performance of the winner.
As they raced on opposite sides of the track it is difficult to say categorically which is the better horse. Only time will tell.
The English 1000 Guineas was a disappointment as far as the Ballydoyle runners were concerned, more so for Lahinch than her stablemates. She was not allowed to run her own race and instead acted as a pacemaker for others. In hindsight, she might have won if permitted to preserve her stamina for the latter stages. Once again only time will tell.
Tipperary was waterlogged on Wednesday and that fixture has been re-scheduled for Thursday 10th May.
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