Every financial review of 2020 is going to come with a major asterisk in years to come but Horse racing Ireland can look to a number of bright spots in their annual statistical review published on Friday.
Racing secures the right as an elite sport to carry on behind closed doors and with the right health protocols in place, getting back underway on June 8th.
Providing live sport was important in terms of giving us something to look forward to and watch from afar.
It also provided a critical lifeline for the trainers, jockeys and horses involved in the sport. That has been painted in real clarity with the fact that the number of horses in training actually rose by 3.3 last year from 8,949 in 2019 to 9,248 in 2020.
Ownership numbers across every group also rose which is a measure of the resilience of the sport to retain its appeal even when many of the benefits of ownership in terms of being able to see your horses in the flesh were taken away.
There were 3,250 sole ow partnership owners, there were 669 syndicates, 53 clubs and 108 companies registered as owners with the total of 4,080 up 0.5 per cent on the previous year.
The restrictions on travel had a significant impact on the amount of prize money won in the UK but a boost in big race wins further afield meant the total repatriated was €21.01 million as opposed to €24.62 million.
Attendance was obviously down at only 117,000 as opposed to 1,315,000 twelve months before.
Commercial sponsorship also took a hit down from €6.1 million to €1.9 million.
“The figures for the numbers of horses-in-training continued to grow year-on-year and this says so much about those involved in racehorse ownership,” said Horse Racing Ireland CEO Brian Kavanagh.
“It is a testament to their resilience in the face of very challenging circumstances that they continue to stand by the industry and we look forward to a time when we can safely welcome owners – and obviously racegoers – back to our racetracks.”
“Owners’ ongoing support is felt across the board and the numbers of horses in racing yards directly reflects on employment levels within the industry and on widespread economic activity in rural Ireland.”
“2020 was a year when Bloodstock sales companies showed remarkable flexibility on a number of fronts. There were changes to sales’ dates and locations and there was extensive use of online sales. While this facilitated some trade, inevitably the end of year figures were well down on what might have been expected and this is a priority area for 2021.”
“Like many other sectors, the Irish horse racing and breeding industry had a difficult 2020 and while there are some positives, effectively any comparison with previous years is futile.”
“The continued absence of attendances is having a significant impact on racecourses. We acknowledge the hardship endured by on-course bookmakers, Tote, caterers and the many other businesses that depend on racecourses and racegoers, and Horse Racing Ireland and the Association of Irish Racecourses are eager to welcome everyone back once it is deemed appropriate by the Government.”
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