It is rare that you see the results of sporting surveys that stop you in your tracks but that was the case yesterday, in a very positive fashion, when Horse racing Ireland released the results of a nationwide survey of attitudes to the sport.

Twelve months ago 23 per cent of a 1,000 person nationally representative poll carried out by RedC said they had an interest in horse racing.

This year the number has soared to 39 per cent, an exponential increase of 70 per cent.

What makes it more impressive again is that it took place between February 8th and 15th, before the surge in excitement, interest and news headlines driven by Rachael Blackmore at Cheltenham and then in historic fashion at Aintree.

An overwhelming number of racing fans (85 per cent) are missing attending race meetings and once Ireland’s Covid-19 restrictions are lifted, 19% plan to attend more race meetings than they did previously. This figure rises to 27 per cent of people aged between 18 and 34.

Becoming a racehorse owner, as part of a syndicate or racing club, appeals to three out of every four people who expressed an interest in horse racing; among the population as a whole, 40 per cent would be interested in joining a syndicate or racing club.

“The results of the poll demonstrate that interest in horse racing has increased through the pandemic,” said Horse Racing Ireland CEO Brian Kavanagh.

“While racing has been held behind closed doors since March of last year, it is heartening that such a large percentage of racing fans are eager for a return to the racecourse.”

“The numbers of people getting involved in racehorse ownership continues to rise and the survey results reflect this increased appetite. Racehorse ownership is the key catalyst for growth at every level of the industry.”

“The figure of 60 per cent for people who follow the sport on a weekly basis is well up on the 2020 equivalent of 47 per cent,” added Paul Dermody, CEO of HRI Racecourses and HRI’s Director of Commercial and Marketing.

“The feedback shows that HRI’s ‘On Your Terms’ television ad campaign has performed very well among sports and racing fans.”

“It is such a positive that there has been an increased number of race meetings broadcast live on terrestrial television and this has been very well received. We are grateful to both RTÉ and TG4 for their increased commitment to Irish Racing.”

“Indeed, the new broadcasting deal with RTÉ for live coverage of Irish horse racing for the next three years will deliver a record number of free-to-air live racing days in Ireland.”

With the Punchestown National Hunt Festival holding sway from next Tuesday, the sport finds itself in a very strong position, perhaps stronger than it could have imagined.

We will be joined on the Sport for Business daily tomorrow morning by Paul Dermody to dive deeper into the impressive numbers.

Horse Racing Ireland are one of the 30 National Governing Bodies of Sport in Ireland that are members of the Sport for Business network of sporting and business organisations working together across a number of key areas.

 

Sport for Business Partners