© Photo Healy Racing
Following yesterday evening’s confirmation from both the Department of Agriculture, Food & The Marine and Horse Racing Ireland that the intended resumption date for horse racing is June 29 it is apparent that the industry must now brace itself for some difficult times ahead.
Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) has submitted a proposal to government outlining their case for the sport to resume at an earlier date but as these decisions now rest with NPHET and the Chief Medical Officer we are in uncharted waters.
Under the government’s roadmap document compiled by NPHET and released last week there are three possible dates for racing to resume:
Phase 1 on May 18 now looks a non-runner
Phase 2 on June 8 is HRI’s target but requires a willingness from NPHET to amend their timetable and so far we have no evidence that this will happen. To do so would also open up a can of worms for both government and NPHET as many other business sectors are seeking similar concessions.
Phase 3 on June 29 is the intended date for “behind closed doors sports” such as horse racing to restart according to the roadmap document and until we hear otherwise this must be the focus for the industry.
By June 29 the sport will have been suspended for just over three months and while that has had serious implications for many within the industry there is undoubtedly worse to come.
When racing resumes it will be behind closed doors for at least a further month. That means a minimum of four and half months without a single paying customer for any racecourse. The racecourses will also be looking at reduced Media Rights revenue until such time as betting shops are back open in both Ireland and Britain, and they will struggle to maintain race sponsorship.
Almost everyone working on the racing side of the industry is reliant either directly or indirectly on prizemoney to keep afloat but it is difficult to see how HRI can keep this at current levels.
Many race sponsors won’t be in a position to support the industry in the short-term.
The majority of prizemoney comes directly from HRI through government funding and while they are currently holding the allocation for the three months of suspended meetings it is unclear what will happen with that money.
Government are unlikely to look for a rebate despite also coming under extreme financial pressure but what should HRI do with the money? Do they shove it all into the second half of the year or would it be more prudent to hold onto some portion for next year? Whatever chance they have of securing an earlier resumption date, HRI must be considerably longer odds to maintain current levels of funding in next year’s government budget.
When the dust settles after the pandemic the horse racing industry in Ireland will look very different. Then, more than ever, the industry will need a strong representative body to create its own roadmap for recovery.
The horse racing industry in Ireland is blessed with a wealth of extremely talented and passionate people throughout its ranks but its Achilles heel has often been the “everyone for themselves” mentality of the different sectors and individuals within those sectors. Going forward the industry will need a unified strategy to re-grow.
